Liberia: Justice Minister Vows Relentless War On Drug Trafficking
Justice Minister and Attorney General Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh has warned drug traffickers and their alleged networks that the Liberian Government will remain relentless in its campaign against illicit narcotics, insisting that the fight will be pursued through strong institutions, credible evidence and the rule of law.
Tweh made the statement Wednesday, August 26, 2026, while delivering remarks at the relaunch of the Edward Wilmot Blyden Intellectual Discourse organized by the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) in Monrovia.
The discourse, held under the theme, “Confronting Drug Trafficking: Strengthening Institutions, Advancing Accountability, and Safeguarding the Rule of Law,” brought together government officials, lawmakers, legal practitioners, civil society representatives, journalists and other stakeholders for discussions on Liberia’s escalating drug-trafficking challenge.
The Justice Minister used the occasion to defend the Government’s response to the drug crisis, pointing to recent major narcotics seizures and arrests as evidence of what he described as a coordinated national law-enforcement effort.
“Our sleeves are rolled up, and the battle line between the drug cartels and the Liberian State has been clearly drawn,” Tweh declared.
“In this battle, there can be no accommodation with criminality and no surrender to those who seek to profit from the destruction of our people.”
Tweh disclosed that the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) seized more than 400 kilograms of illegal narcotics and arrested over 200 suspects during the first quarter of 2026.
He said approximately 237 kilograms of cocaine were intercepted at Roberts International Airport in June before authorities later uncovered nearly four tons of cocaine in Duazon, describing it as the largest narcotics seizure in Liberia’s history.
According to the Minister, more than US$336 million worth of the seized cocaine was subsequently destroyed in Margibi County at the end of July in full public view.
“These are not slogans. These are concrete actions,” Tweh said, crediting the LDEA, Liberia National Police, Ministry of Justice, prosecutors, investigators, security personnel and other national security institutions for the operations.
He said the actions demonstrate the current administration’s political will to confront the narcotics trade.
Tweh stressed, however, that the Government’s objective is not simply to seize drugs or arrest suspects but to dismantle the networks responsible for financing, facilitating and transporting narcotics into and through Liberia.
The Justice Minister said the Government’s strategy must extend beyond couriers, drivers and low-level dealers to those financing and facilitating the drug trade.
“At the Ministry of Justice, our responsibility is to ensure that seizures are followed by investigations; that investigations are followed by evidence; and that evidence is presented before the courts,” he said.
He pledged that no individual would be shielded from prosecution because of wealth, political influence, friendship or connections.
“If the evidence leads to a customs officer, a security officer, a businessman, a politician or any other person, the law must be allowed to take its course,” Tweh stated.
“No one will be protected because of influence, friendship, wealth, or political connections; all wrongdoers must account for their actions through the law.”
At the same time, Tweh cautioned against convicting people through public opinion, social media or political accusations.
“No person should be convicted because his or her name is popular on the radio, circulating on social media or politically convenient to accuse,” he said.
“That is not justice. The Government will not fight lawlessness by abandoning the law.”
Tweh also took aim at critics who, he said, view the Government’s drug-enforcement campaign solely through a political lens.
He argued that some critics had demanded action against drug trafficking but subsequently dismissed government actions after major seizures, arrests and investigations were carried out.
“We welcome criticism, but criticism must not become blindness,” the Minister said.
He maintained that the nearly four-ton cocaine seizure could not reasonably be characterized as government inaction.
“The fight against drugs cannot be measured by propaganda, nor can a four-ton seizure be honestly described as government inaction simply because some people have already decided that no achievement of this Administration should be acknowledged,” he stated.
Tweh acknowledged that Liberia’s drug problem predates the current administration and would not disappear overnight, but said the historical record would ultimately determine whether the Government confronted the crisis.
Despite defending the Government’s record, Tweh acknowledged that major drug seizures also expose vulnerabilities within the country’s security and institutional systems.
He said the movement of large quantities of narcotics through Liberia should trigger investigations into the various points along the supply chain, including handling, screening and transportation.
“Every major seizure reveals both a success and a vulnerability,” he said.
“If narcotics can move through a chain of handling, screening or transportation, then that chain must be examined and strengthened.”
He called for stronger screening systems, improved intelligence gathering, closer coordination among law-enforcement agencies and investigations into possible facilitation and corruption.
According to Tweh, the Government must ensure that drug networks are dismantled rather than merely disrupted.
“Strong institutions are not institutions that claim perfection,” he said. “Strong institutions are institutions that can detect failure, correct it, investigate wrongdoing and continue to improve.”
The Justice Minister also praised the Liberian media for keeping drug trafficking on the national agenda through reporting on seizures, public concerns and government actions.
He said a free and courageous press is essential to holding institutions accountable and helping the government identify problems that might otherwise remain hidden.
“A free, responsible and courageous press is not an enemy of the State,” Tweh said.
“It is one of the institutions that helps the State see what it might otherwise fail to see.”
However, he urged journalists to ensure that their reporting is grounded in verified facts, warning against allowing speculation to replace evidence.
“In a fight of this magnitude, information must enlighten and not inflame; facts must be distinguished from speculation; and legitimate scrutiny must not become a substitute for evidence,” he said.
Tweh maintained that the media has both the right and responsibility to ask difficult questions, while Government has a corresponding obligation to answer those questions and accept scrutiny.
Tweh said Liberia’s fight against drug trafficking must not result in the weakening of constitutional protections or due process.
He argued that the rule of law gives the State the authority to investigate and prosecute but also protects accused persons against arbitrary government action.
“It protects the journalist who questions the Government. It protects the citizen who demands accountability,” he said.
“If we weaken due process in the name of fighting drugs, we weaken the very Republic we claim to defend.”
He therefore urged law-enforcement agencies to remain firm but lawful, emphasizing that prosecutions must be built on evidence and tested before the courts.
“Our obligation, therefore, is not simply to be tough. Our obligation is to be effective, lawful, fair and unwavering,” Tweh said.
Reflecting on the legacy of Edward Wilmot Blyden, Tweh said the Liberian intellectual, diplomat, educator and journalist understood the importance of strong institutions and public debate in building a nation.
He said Blyden’s legacy was particularly relevant to Liberia’s present struggle against drug trafficking because narcotics threaten not only public health and security but also the country’s institutional integrity and national sovereignty.
“Narcotics do not merely violate our criminal laws,” Tweh said. “They destroy young lives, weaken families, corrupt institutions, finance criminal networks and threaten the very capacity of the State to govern.”
He argued that Liberia cannot claim to be fully free if criminal networks are allowed to capture communities and institutions through drug money.
Tweh concluded by reaffirming the Government’s commitment to a sustained national campaign against narcotics.
“We did not choose this threat. But we must choose our response,” he said.
“And under the leadership of the current Administration, the Ministry of Justice and the law enforcement community have made that choice: Liberia will confront drug trafficking, strengthen its institutions, advance accountability and safeguard the rule of law.”
