By Socrates Smythe Saywon | Smart News Liberia
MONROVIA – Political leader and former presidential candidate Dr. Clarence Moniba has raised concerns over what he describes as inconsistent treatment in the Government of Liberia’s handling of the ongoing investigation into the recent US$19 million cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport (RIA), warning that the case is becoming a critical test of fairness, accountability, and public trust in Liberia’s justice system.
In a statement addressing the high-profile narcotics case on Monday, June 15, 2026, Moniba acknowledged the gravity of the seizure, describing it as far more than an ordinary drug bust. According to him, the interception has exposed broader concerns surrounding national security, border management, organized crime, corruption, and the credibility of institutions tasked with enforcing the law.
“The seizure of cocaine valued at more than US$19 million at the Roberts International Airport is not an ordinary drug case,” Moniba stated. “It is a major national security matter. It raises serious questions about border security, airport operations, organized crime, corruption, and the integrity of our justice system.”
The statement comes amid growing public debate over the decision by the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) to withhold the identities of individuals arrested or under investigation in connection with the shipment. Authorities have argued that releasing certain information at this stage could compromise ongoing investigations and interfere with evidence gathering.
While Moniba acknowledged that such an explanation may appear reasonable on the surface, he argued that the government’s position has exposed what he sees as a troubling inconsistency in how drug-related cases have historically been handled in Liberia.
According to him, previous narcotics investigations often saw the immediate public disclosure of suspects’ names, photographs, and identities, frequently before any court proceedings had established guilt or innocence.
“For years, Liberians have witnessed the names, photographs, and identities of drug suspects being publicly released almost immediately after arrest,” Moniba said. “Ordinary citizens have been identified. Poor citizens have been identified. Young people have been publicly displayed.”
He questioned why a different standard now appears to be governing one of the largest cocaine seizures in the country’s recent history.
“Yet today, in one of the largest cocaine seizures in Liberia’s recent history, we are suddenly told that disclosure could jeopardize the investigation,” Moniba noted. “Fellow Liberians, we must ask: why now?”
The former presidential candidate stressed that his concerns are not rooted in politics but in the principle of equal treatment under the law. He argued that the government must explain why practices routinely applied in previous cases appear to have changed when this particular investigation potentially involves individuals with greater influence or resources.
“If this new standard is necessary, why was it not applied in previous cases?” Moniba asked. “If silence protects investigations, why did silence not protect previous investigations? If premature disclosure can prejudice prosecutions, why were past suspects publicly exposed before trial?”
According to Moniba, the issue extends beyond the identities of those currently detained. At stake, he argued, is public confidence in whether Liberia’s justice system applies the law equally to all citizens regardless of social status, political connections, or economic influence.
“The Government cannot apply one standard to ordinary Liberians and another standard when powerful interests may be involved,” he asserted. “That is not justice. That is selective law enforcement.”
Moniba emphasized that he is not calling for the release of information that could endanger witnesses, compromise evidence, or undermine international cooperation. Rather, he said the government owes the public a credible explanation regarding the apparent departure from past practices.
“We are asking the Government to explain why the rules appear to have changed in this particular case,” he stated. “The Liberian people deserve transparency. They deserve consistency. They deserve equal treatment under the law.”
The statement also warned against allowing the case to follow a pattern in which lower-level actors face prosecution while individuals with greater power or influence evade scrutiny.
“This case must not become another situation where small names are sacrificed while powerful actors remain protected,” Moniba cautioned. “It must not become another scandal in which financiers, facilitators, and politically connected individuals escape scrutiny while others bear the consequences.”
Although he welcomed assurances from government officials that no one will be shielded from investigation, Moniba argued that public confidence cannot be sustained by statements alone.
“The Government says no one will be shielded from investigation. That assurance is welcome. But assurances alone are not enough. They must be matched by actions that inspire public confidence,” he said.
Moniba further warned that Liberia’s broader fight against narcotics could suffer if citizens begin to perceive that law enforcement institutions are harsher toward ordinary people than toward those with influence.
“Liberia cannot win the fight against drugs when citizens begin to believe that the system is tougher on the powerless than it is on the powerful,” he declared. “Public trust is not built through press releases. It is built when institutions demonstrate fairness, consistency, and impartiality.”
As a result, he is calling on the Government of Liberia, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, the Ministry of Justice, and the Joint Security Team to provide what he described as a clear and credible update on the investigation, including the status of those arrested, individuals being sought by authorities, and efforts to identify financiers, facilitators, and any institutional actors connected to the criminal enterprise.
“The Liberian people are not asking for politics,” Moniba stated. “They are asking for justice. They are asking for accountability. They are asking for equal treatment. They are asking for the truth.”
He concluded by describing the US$19 million cocaine case as a defining moment for Liberia’s justice system and democratic institutions.
“This US$19 million cocaine case is a test of national integrity,” Moniba said. “It is a test of whether our justice system serves the law equally or whether different rules apply to different people.”
As questions surrounding the investigation continue to mount, Moniba’s intervention adds another influential voice to the growing national debate over transparency, accountability, and whether authorities can convince the public that every individual connected to the massive cocaine shipment will face equal scrutiny under the law.
“Fellow Liberians, prolonged silence in a matter of this magnitude does not strengthen public confidence,” he warned. “It weakens it. Liberia deserves answers.”
