FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEI address the nation today on a matter of grave national importance: the attempted exportation of a very large quantity of cocaine through Roberts International Airport, the progress of the Joint National Security Investigation, and the criminal charges that have now been brought as the result of that investigation.
As the Liberian people are aware, on Sunday, June 7, 2026, a consignment of six boxes presented for export through Roberts International Airport was intercepted and searched, leading to the discovery of 198 plates of cocaine weighing approximately 237.6 kilograms, with an estimated street value over US$19 million. The shipment had been presented as ordinary commercial cargo, but subsequent inspection and testing revealed that it contained a large quantity of illicit narcotic substances.
From the outset, the magnitude of the seizure, the method of concealment, the intended international routing, and the surrounding circumstances made clear that this was not an ordinary drug case. It raised immediate concerns of a serious transnational narcotics trafficking operation, using Liberiaโs air cargo system as a channel for the movement of dangerous drugs beyond our borders.
In response, HE The President ordered a Joint National Security Investigation, bringing together other security Agency under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice. That investigation has involved the collection and review of witness and suspect statements, cargo documentation, screening and handling records, communication data, and other evidence relevant to the shipment and the persons connected to it.
Let me be very clear from the outset:
This was not a paperwork error.
This was not a routine cargo discrepancy.
This was not an innocent shipment gone wrong.
This was a serious transnational cocaine trafficking operations using Liberiaโs aviation and logistics system as a channel for organized crime. And today, the Liberia National Police, acting in concert with the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency and our national security partners, is naming the principal suspects and setting out the charges.
What the investigation established
The investigation found that on Friday, June 5, 2026, six boxes were prepared for shipment through the cargo system at Roberts International Airport. The shipment was processed under the false description of ordinary goods, Maggi cubes and Lappas, but from the beginning there were red flags: discrepancies in the declared weight, suspicious screening images, and conflicting shipping documentation. Because of those discrepancies, the cargo did not leave on June 5.
On Sunday, June 7, 2026, when the boxes were re-screened and physically inspected, a white powdery substance was discovered concealed inside them. That substance was turned over to the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, tested, and confirmed to be cocaine.
But the investigation did not stop at the seizure. The Joint Special Investigative Team examined the cargo trail, the communications trail, the money trail, the digital evidence, the Air waybill, the conduct of the individuals involved, and the actions taken after the cocaine was discovered. The evidence establishes that after the consignment was exposed, there were deliberate efforts by operating cells of the cartel to bribe security personnel, retrieve the shipment, and interfere with the seizure
The investigation also found evidence of an earlier shipment in May 2026, routed in a similar fashion, using the same type of false cargo description and linked to the same network. This means the June 7 seizure was not a one-off event. It points to a pattern, a system, and a criminal enterprise.
Based on witness testimony, documentary records, call logs, digital evidence, forensic findings, and the reconstruction of the cargo chain, the Joint Special Investigative Team identified the following principal suspects and now hereby criminally charge the below suspects under the Amended Controlled Drugs and Substance Act of 2023 and Chapter 10 of the Revised Penal Code of Liberia.
Paul J. King and Global Logistics Services (GLS)
The investigation finds that Paul J. King, acting in his capacity as Operations Manager of GLS, and GLS itself acting through its operations structure, conspired, accepted, facilitated, stored, and transported the six-box consignment of cocaine through the airport cargo chain. The investigation further finds that GLS, through its responsible management channels, provided substantial assistance to the trafficking scheme.
Accordingly, Paul J. King and GLS has been charged under Chapter 14 Sections 84, 85, 89 and 93 of the Amended Controlled Drugs and Substance Act of 2023 and Chapter 10 Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Revised Penal Code of Liberia, Captioned:
- Unlicensed exportation of controlled drugs or substances
- Unlicensed transportation and trading in transit of controlled drugs or substances
- Unlicensed possession of controlled drugs or substances
- Illicit trafficking in controlled drugs or substances
- Criminal conspiracy
Michael U.S. Browne alias Rahim/Raheem Bah
The investigation links Michael U.S. Browne, also known as Rahim or Raheem Bah, to the organization of the shipment, the use of bogus front companies, the coordination of cargo falsely declared as Maggi cubes and lappas, and the attempts to recover the cocaine after it was discovered.
He has been charged in absentia under Chapter 14 Sections 84, 85, 89 and 93 of the Amended Controlled Drugs and Substance Act of 2023 and Chapter 10 Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Revised Penal Code of Liberia, Captioned:
- Unlicensed exportation of controlled drugs or substances
- Unlicensed transportation and trading in transit of controlled drugs or substances
- Unlicensed possession of controlled drugs or substances
- Illicit trafficking in controlled drugs or substances
- Criminal conspiracy
Oscar J. Browne
The investigation established that Oscar J. Browne scanned and cleared similar cargo shipped on the 22nd of May, 2026 and made repeated calls to colleagues regarding the June 5th shipment that was seized on June 7, 2026 at the Roberts International Airport in an effort to secure the release of the cargo after its contents had already been discovered. He has been charged in absentia under Chapter 14 Sections 84, 85, 89 and 93 of the Amended Controlled Drugs and Substance Act of 2023 and Chapter 10 Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Revised Penal Code of Liberia, Captioned:
- Unlicensed exportation of controlled drugs or substances
- Unlicensed transportation and trading in transit of controlled drugs or substances
- Unlicensed possession of controlled drugs or substances
- Illicit trafficking in controlled drugs or substances
- Criminal conspiracy
Emmanuel Kpah
The investigation identifies Emmanuel Kpah as the person who delivered the shipment and associated cash in connection with the cargo transaction. He has been charged in absentia under Chapter 14 Sections 84, 85, 89 and 93 of the Amended Controlled Drugs and Substance Act of 2023 and Chapter 10 Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Revised Penal Code of Liberia, Captioned:
- Unlicensed exportation of controlled drugs or substances
- Unlicensed transportation and trading in transit of controlled drugs or substances
- Unlicensed possession of controlled drugs or substances
- Illicit trafficking in controlled drugs or substances
- Criminal conspiracy
Suspect Usman Ali is identified as the consignee based in the UK
He has been charged in absentia under Chapter 14 Sections 84, 85, 89 and 93 of the Amended Controlled Drugs and Substance Act of 2023 and Chapter 10 Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Revised Penal Code of Liberia, Captioned
- Unlicensed exportation of controlled drugs or substances
- Unlicensed transportation and trading in transit of controlled drugs or substances
- Unlicensed possession of controlled drugs or substances
- Illicit trafficking in controlled drugs or substances
- Criminal conspiracy
(G)Section 10.3, Criminal solicitation
All suspects who are in hiding, outside the country, or otherwise evading the process of law are being pursued through every lawful means available to the Republic of Liberia, including arrest warrants, international law-enforcement cooperation, extradition requests, and mutual legal assistance mechanisms where applicable.
The investigation into the May 2026 shipment and all related consignments remains active. We are not treating this as a closed-file seizure.
We are treating it as a network investigation aimed at identifying every participant, financiers, organizers, handlers, couriers, facilitators, insiders, and foreign links.
Any public official, security officer, airport official, private company, or corporate actor found to have knowingly participated in this scheme, attempted to obstruct the investigation, or compromised the integrity of the seizure will face the full consequences of the law.
We are working with the relevant authorities to immediately review and tighten cargo-control vulnerabilities, chain-of-custody procedures, screening protocols, and internal safeguards at the Roberts International Airport and across the cargo-handling system.
To the Liberian people:
This case should concern every citizen because narcotics trafficking is not a victimless enterprise. It corrodes institutions. It finances organized crime. It corrupts public systems. It destroys lives and communities. And it places Liberiaโs name at risk in the international community.
Liberia cannot and will not become a safe transit corridor for trans-national organized criminal organizations.
We will not allow criminal networks to hide behind company names, false airway bills, airport access, political connections, or cash inducements. We will not permit public institutions to be bent to the service of traffickers. And we will not retreat because the people involved may be influential, connected, or embedded in political or commercial systems.
If you traffic drugs through Liberia, we will pursue you.
If you facilitate drug trafficking, we will charge you.
If you try to bribe officers to release narcotics, we will expose you.
If you abuse public trust to shield traffickers, we will bring you before the law.
That is the commitment of the Joint Special Investigative Team.
And that is the commitment we owe the Liberian people.
Let me also state, for the record, that while these suspects are being named and charges are being pursued, every accused person remains entitled to the protections of due process and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Our duty as law enforcement is to investigate thoroughly, charge lawfully, preserve the evidence, and place the matter before the court. That is exactly what we will do.
And let this be the final word to every trafficker, facilitator, fixer, and corrupt enabler watching this case unfold:
Liberia is closed to drug traffickers.
Our airport is not your corridor.
Our institutions are not for sale.
Our officers are not your brokers.
And anyone who mistakes this Republic for a safe passageway for illicit trafficking will be met with investigation, arrest, prosecution, and the full force of the law.
This investigation will continue.
This network will be pursued.
And this case will not be buried.
Thank you.
