Monrovia – Investigators have widened the probe into Liberia’s record US$19 million cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport (RIA), placing six airport security officers and Executive Protection Service (EPS) personnel assigned to the airport’s VIP Lounge under investigation as authorities seek to determine whether insiders facilitated the attempted export of the narcotics.
The development comes amid mounting public pressure on law enforcement agencies to disclose the identities of those believed to be behind one of the largest cocaine seizures in Liberia’s history.
Sources familiar with the investigation told FrontPage Africa that the six airport security officers currently under scrutiny are Mohammed Gbowrah, Roland G. Taylor, Benjamin Rivercess, Henry King, Geraldin Zeon, and Ruth Gbapaywhea.
Ironically, several of the officers now being questioned were among the personnel credited with first detecting the suspicious shipment during routine screening operations at the GLS/Menzies Cargo Warehouse.
Investigators are seeking to establish whether any airport personnel had prior knowledge of the shipment, whether standard security procedures were followed throughout the process, and whether any vulnerabilities within the airport’s security system were exploited by traffickers.
FrontPage Africa has also learned that all Executive Protection Service personnel assigned to the VIP Lounge at Roberts International Airport have been recalled for questioning as part of the broader investigation.
The EPS unit is responsible for providing security services to senior government officials, diplomats, and other VIP travelers. Sources say investigators are examining whether any restricted-access areas, VIP channels, or special clearance procedures were used in connection with the attempted export of the cocaine.
Authorities have not announced any arrests involving airport security officers or EPS personnel, emphasizing that those being questioned remain subjects of an ongoing investigation.
Security Team Credited With Discovery
Documents reviewed by FrontPage Africa show that the cocaine shipment was first detected by airport security personnel rather than narcotics investigators.
An investigative report prepared by Roland G. Taylor, Acting Assistant Manager for Intelligence and Investigation at the Airport Security Department, details how the seizure unfolded.
According to the report, on June 5, 2026, airport security officers screening cargo destined for an SN Brussels Airlines flight observed abnormalities involving six boxes presented for export.
The report states that Officer Ruth Gbapaywhea, who was operating the X-ray machine, noticed that the images appearing on the monitor were unusually dense and inconsistent with the contents declared on the cargo manifest.
The suspicious images triggered a request for a physical inspection. However, because the consignor’s representative was not present and the shipment was not scheduled to depart that day, the examination was postponed until June 7.
When security personnel eventually opened the shipment in the presence of the consignor’s representative, they discovered a white powdery substance concealed inside the cargo. The contents appeared significantly different from what had been declared on the shipping documents.
The discovery prompted consultations among airport security officials, intelligence personnel, and cargo supervisors before the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) was notified.
Subsequent testing revealed that each of the six boxes contained 33 parcels of Cocaine Hydrochloride (HCI), making the seizure one of the largest ever recorded in Liberia.
The same investigative report concluded that the airport security team acted in accordance with standard operating procedures and recommended commendation for the officers whose actions led to the interception.
That conclusion has raised questions about why some of the same officers are now being investigated. Security sources, however, insist that investigators are reviewing every stage of the shipment’s movement through the airport and questioning all individuals connected to the case as part of efforts to identify the organizers of the operation.
Search for Key Suspects Intensifies
Meanwhile, FrontPage Africa has learned that investigators continue to search for an individual identified as Emmanuel T. Zeon, who reportedly delivered the consignment destined for Brussels.
Shipping documents reportedly list the shipper as Emre Venn Group of Companies, located on 20th Street, Sinkor, Monrovia, while the consignee was identified as Usman Ali of 29 Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, England.
However, FrontPage Africa has been informed that investigators have thus far been unable to verify the existence of Emre Venn Group of Companies at the listed Sinkor address, raising further questions about the origins of the shipment and the identities of those involved.
Airport Tightens Security Measures
In response to the seizure, Roberts International Airport has implemented a series of enhanced security measures aimed at preventing future trafficking attempts.
Under the new procedures, cargo shipments will only be accepted from certified cargo handlers, regulated entities, or approved consignors. Airport authorities have also made it mandatory for consignors or their representatives to be physically present during inspections and screening procedures.
Suspicious cargo identified through intelligence reports, documentation irregularities, behavioral indicators, or screening anomalies will now undergo mandatory joint inspections involving Airport Security, Customs, the Liberia Revenue Authority, the LDEA, and other security agencies.
Additionally, at least ten percent of all export cargo shipments will be randomly selected for physical inspection before clearance is granted.
Authorities have also ordered photographic documentation before, during, and after inspections, while cargo exhibiting false declarations, concealed compartments, suspicious packaging, or documentation inconsistencies will be immediately placed under security hold.
Airport officials say the measures are intended to strengthen cargo security, improve intelligence sharing, and deter criminal organizations seeking to exploit Liberia’s air transport system.
RIA Under Growing Scrutiny
The latest seizure has also renewed concerns about Liberia’s vulnerability to international drug trafficking networks.
While the US$19 million cocaine seizure shocked many Liberians, FrontPage Africa’s investigation has uncovered concerns among international law enforcement authorities that Roberts International Airport has increasingly appeared in drug trafficking cases linked to Europe.
In December 2025, Belgian media outlet The Brussels Times reported that a British nursing student was sentenced to 40 months in prison after customs officers discovered nearly 10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in her luggage upon arrival at Brussels Airport from Liberia. According to the report, customs officers found nine packages containing approximately 9.9 kilograms of cocaine in her suitcase.
A month earlier, in November 2025, Belgian authorities arrested two individuals at Brussels Airport after discovering more than 108 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside suitcases with an estimated street value exceeding €4.3 million.
According to Belgian prosecutors, the suspects had used inexpensive airline tickets to gain access to the airport before retrieving the drug-filled luggage from the baggage carousel. The suitcases significantly exceeded normal baggage weight limits, prompting suspicion and eventual seizure.
The prosecutor’s office later confirmed that the operation was linked to a criminal organization rather than traditional drug couriers.
Investigators said no courier was actually traveling on the flight. Instead, prosecutors alleged that members of a trafficking network had bribed individuals at the airport of origin to place suitcases loaded with cocaine onto aircraft bound for Europe.
The similarities between those cases and the recent US$19 million cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport have heightened concerns among investigators, who are now examining whether organized trafficking networks may have established routes through Liberia for the movement of narcotics to European destinations.
Will Investigators Reach the Masterminds?
As investigators continue to analyze surveillance footage, access logs, shipping documents, and witness statements, the identities of the alleged masterminds behind the US$19 million cocaine shipment remain unknown to the public.
The broadening investigation has fueled speculation that the airport personnel currently under scrutiny may represent only a small part of a much larger trafficking operation.
For many observers, the central question remains whether the widening probe will ultimately move beyond airport workers and uncover the powerful individuals believed to be behind one of the largest drug trafficking cases in Liberia’s history.
As investigators gather evidence and follow new leads, attention is increasingly focused on whether the “small fish” now under investigation will ultimately lead authorities to the “big hands” responsible for orchestrating the multimillion-dollar cocaine shipment.
