Buchanan, Grand Bassa County — A 61-year-old taxi driver has been arrested after officers of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) in Grand Bassa County uncovered more than US$55,000 worth of cocaine and marijuana concealed in his vehicle.
By Patience M. Jones
Michael Wallace, a longtime taxi operator in Buchanan, was taken into custody on Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at 5:19 p.m., following an intelligence-led operation at the Owens Grove checkpoint. Officers discovered one plate of cocaine weighing 1kg and valued at USD 54,000, along with 19 compressed parcels of marijuana totaling 12.7kg and valued at USD 1,270. The drugs were found inside his taxi, identified as TX 11686.
Special Agent Grade 2 Frederick T. Theo, Commander of the LDEA Bassa Detachment, told reporters that Wallace will be formally charged and forwarded to court. He confirmed that the combined street value of the seized narcotics amounts to USD 55,270 — equivalent to LRD 10,501,300.
During preliminary questioning, Wallace claimed he was unknowingly transporting the drugs. He alleged that a man at ELWA Junction in Monrovia handed him a sealed carton supposedly containing eggs, instructing him to deliver it to Buchanan, where he would receive further directions by phone. Wallace said he did not inspect the box.
Acting on a tip-off about an incoming drug transport, officers intercepted the taxi and conducted a search, uncovering the cocaine and marijuana hidden inside the package.
Wallace, a familiar figure in Buchanan’s transport sector, expressed regret and pleaded for forgiveness as he was taken into custody.
He is expected to face prosecution following the LDEA’s ongoing investigation.
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