Liberia busts $317 million cocaine trafficking operation headed for Europe

Liberian authorities have seized 3,971 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated $317 million, marking one of the country’s largest drug busts as West Africa remains a key transit hub for cocaine bound for Europe.

Liberia busts $317 million cocaine trafficking operation headed for Europe

• Liberian authorities seized nearly 4,000 kg of cocaine worth $317 million, one of the country’s largest drug busts.
• Two foreign nationals, one with Spanish and Colombian passports and another with a Serbian passport, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
• Investigators are working to determine the cocaine’s origin through forensic analysis and package markings.
• This bust follows a major June seizure linked to a Dutch crime boss, but officials say there is no connection between the two cases.

The drugs were discovered in Duazon, east of the capital, Monroin connection with the seizure—one holding both Spanish and Colombian passports and the other carrying a Serbian passport, Reuters reported

Officials have yet to determine the cocaine’s country of origin. Coleman said forensic analysis and an examination of the markings on the packages will help investigators trace where the shipment came from.

The latest operation follows another major seizure in June, when Liberian authorities intercepted 237.6 kilograms of cocaine valued at more than $19 million at Roberts International Airport. That shipment, which originated in neighbouring Sierra Leone and was destined for the United Kingdom, was linked to alleged Dutch drug kingpin Jos Leijdekkers, one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives.

However, Coleman said investigators have found no evidence linking the latest seizure to the earlier case.

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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says traffickers are increasingly using West African countries as staging points for cocaine transported from South America to Europe, taking advantage of weak border controls and expanding criminal networks.

According to Francois Patuel, the UNODC’s head of research for West and Central Africa, the Liberian seizures reflect a broader global trend of traffickers diversifying routes while increasing shipment volumes.

Experts say the record seizure highlights the growing sophistication of transnational criminal organizations operating across West Africa. Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo, director of the Observatory of Illicit Economies in West Africa, noted that some of the world’s most advanced cocaine trafficking networks are now storing large quantities of drugs in the region before moving them to European markets.

The latest bust underscores the increasing pressure on West African governments to strengthen border security, intelligence sharing and international cooperation as the region becomes an increasingly important battleground in the global fight against organized drug trafficking.