Monrovia, Liberia – The Panoramic Justice Group has called on the United States Congress to launch a congressional inquiry into Liberia’s unprecedented cocaine seizures, arguing that the sheer volume of narcotics intercepted in the country may point to a sophisticated transnational trafficking network operating beyond the reach of ordinary law-enforcement investigations.
In an August 24 letter addressed to U.S. Congressman Christopher H. Smith, the Washington-based organization, through its Executive Director D. Garkpe Gedepoh, said Liberia’s recent drug seizures should prompt scrutiny extending beyond the individuals accused of transporting, possessing or facilitating the narcotics.
The organization pointed to two major cocaine seizures recorded in Liberia in 2026.
The first involved approximately 237.6 kilograms of cocaine, reportedly valued at more than US$19 million, intercepted at Roberts International Airport (RIA).
Roughly six weeks later, authorities announced the recovery of approximately 3,971 kilograms of suspected cocaine in Duazon, Margibi County, with an estimated street value of about US$317 million.
Combined, the two seizures amounted to approximately 4,208.6 kilograms, or more than 4.2 metric tons, with an estimated value of about US$336 million.
For the Panoramic Justice Group, the scale and proximity of the seizures raise questions about whether Liberia is being used merely as a transit point or has become an important operational corridor for an international narcotics network.
The organization said shipments of such magnitude would ordinarily require substantial financial resources, transportation arrangements, communications, storage facilities and mechanisms for security and protection.
It therefore urged U.S. lawmakers to examine the wider structure allegedly supporting the trafficking operations.
“The central question is therefore not merely who physically handled the cocaine, but who financed, organized, owned, protected, and intended to profit from these shipments,” the group said.
The organization is asking the U.S. Congress to look beyond arrests and prosecutions of alleged couriers and operational-level participants.
It proposed an independent international investigation capable of tracing the cocaine shipments, money flows, businesses, communications, beneficial ownership structures and possible security connections associated with the trafficking operations.
The group also proposed the establishment of an independent Liberian citizens commission, arguing that such a body could help strengthen public confidence and promote accountability.
A third recommendation calls for a comprehensive integrity review of Liberia’s security sector, including the police, narcotics enforcement, intelligence, immigration, customs, airport and maritime institutions.
The organization said such a review should determine whether transnational criminal organizations have exploited weaknesses within Liberia’s institutions and, if so, identify the extent of that vulnerability.
The Panoramic Justice Group said Washington has a legitimate interest in the matter because of the United States’ longstanding support for Liberia’s democratic institutions, security sector, border management, rule of law and economic development.
It urged Congress to determine whether institutions receiving U.S. support have been exposed to exploitation or penetration by transnational criminal organizations.
Where investigators establish a U.S. connection, the group said American authorities should consider financial investigations, asset tracing and money-laundering inquiries.
It also suggested that U.S. authorities could consider targeted sanctions or visa restrictions where applicable legal requirements are satisfied.
However, the organization cautioned that its call for congressional intervention should not be interpreted as a declaration of guilt against any individual.
“We are not asking Congress to presume that allegations are true or that any individual is guilty,” the group said.
Instead, it said the objective should be to ensure that extraordinary narcotics seizures involving hundreds of millions of dollars receive credible and independent scrutiny capable of identifying those who finance, organize and profit from the trade.
The group concluded its appeal with a broader investigative principle: “Follow the drugs. Follow the money. Follow the businesses. Follow the communications. Follow the security connections. Follow the chain of command.”
According to the organization, Liberia’s recent cocaine seizures, combined with allegations involving security personnel and the scale of U.S. investment in the country, provide sufficient grounds for congressional scrutiny and a broader U.S. government inquiry.
The proposed investigation, if pursued, could potentially shift the focus of Liberia’s cocaine crisis from the arrest of alleged couriers to the identification of the financiers, organizers, beneficial owners and institutional facilitators who may operate behind the scenes.
