By Stephen N. Sonpon
MONROVIA, Aug. 10 (LINA) – The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has commended the Government of Liberia for taking decisive action against officials implicated in recent high-profile narcotics trafficking cases but has called for greater transparency, broader stakeholder participation, and institutional reforms to strengthen the country’s fight against organized crime.
Addressing a press conference in Monrovia on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, CENTAL Executive Director Anderson Miamen described the government’s actions following the country’s largest drug seizures as commendable but stressed that public confidence will depend on transparent investigations and equal application of the law.
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., recently ordered the suspension, dismissal, and prosecution of 12 government and security officials following investigations into two major narcotics seizures involving approximately 238 kilograms of drugs valued at US$19 million in June and four metric tons valued at an estimated US$317 million in July.
The actions affected senior officials from the Roberts International Airport (RIA), the Liberia National Police (LNP), the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), while additional individuals from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and other institutions were referred to the Ministry of Justice for further investigation.
CENTAL praised the Joint Security Team for pursuing the investigations and President Boakai for acting on the findings rather than allowing the matter to be ignored.
The organization also acknowledged the critical role played by the Liberian media, civil society organizations, and citizens whose persistent calls for accountability contributed to the public disclosure of persons of interest and subsequent government action.
Miamen, however, said the scale of the drug seizures revealed serious weaknesses within Liberia’s security institutions, noting that narcotics of such magnitude could not have entered or transited the country without collusion at several strategic points.
He described the dismissal of senior security officials as evidence of broader institutional failures rather than isolated misconduct, warning that removing individuals alone would not address the underlying governance challenges.
CENTAL expressed concern over what it termed the delayed public updates on the investigations and growing speculation about the involvement of additional state and non-state actors.
The organization called on the government to regularly disclose information relating to the investigations to assure the public that the process is credible, impartial, and free from political interference.
CENTAL further recommended the introduction of competitive recruitment and thorough vetting of individuals appointed to strategic security positions, regular rotation of officers assigned to sensitive institutions, and the inclusion of international partners, civil society organizations, and other independent actors in ongoing investigations to enhance credibility and public trust.
CENTAL, among other things, emphasized that there should be “no sacred cows” in the anti-drug campaign and urged authorities to investigate and prosecute every individual connected to the trafficking network regardless of status or position.