By Socrates Smythe Saywon | Smart News Liberia
MONROVIA – Liberia’s high-profile US$19 million cocaine case entered another significant phase on Monday, July 6, 2026, after the Liberia National Police (LNP) forwarded Paul King, Operations Manager of Global Logistics Services (GLS), to the Monrovia City Court to answer multiple felony charges prosecutors say stem from an alleged transnational drug trafficking operation uncovered at Roberts International Airport (RIA).
King’s court appearance marks the latest development in an investigation that polce believe exposed a sophisticated criminal network using Liberia’s air cargo system to traffic narcotics to Europe. The case has attracted nationwide attention and intensified scrutiny of airport security and cargo handling procedures following one of the country’s largest reported cocaine seizures.
According to the police charge sheet dated July 6, 2026, King has been charged with the unlicensed importation and exportation of controlled drugs, illegal transportation and possession of controlled substances, illicit trafficking, criminal conspiracy, criminal facilitation, and criminal solicitation.
Investigators allege that on June 5, 2026, King coordinated the shipment of six cargo boxes through Roberts International Airport for export to Europe. During routine X-ray screening, airport security officers reportedly observed suspicious images, prompting the cargo to be isolated for a more detailed inspection.
Police allege that a physical examination conducted on June 7 uncovered a white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine concealed inside one of the boxes.
According to investigators, King subsequently instructed company representatives to pursue the release of the shipment and later admitted deleting WhatsApp messages containing telephone numbers allegedly linked to the cargo.
The investigation further alleges that King instructed his housemaid to release US$2,150 together with the six cargo boxes to associates for delivery to Roberts International Airport before he reportedly departed Liberia.
Prosecutors contend that the shipment formed part of an organized transnational drug trafficking network involving several individuals, some of whom remain at large as investigations continue.
King was arrested on July 4, 2026, and was formally transferred to the Monrovia City Court on Monday to begin judicial proceedings. Under Liberian law, he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of competent jurisdiction.
The latest court action follows the Liberia National Police’s announcement that five suspects and one logistics company have been charged in connection with the reported seizure of approximately 237.6 kilograms of cocaine, valued at more than US$19 million, at Roberts International Airport.
During a press briefing on Saturday, July 4, 2026, Inspector General of Police Gregory O.W. Coleman described the seizure as far more than an isolated drug interception.
Coleman said investigators believe the case exposed a sophisticated transnational drug trafficking network that exploited Liberia’s airport cargo chain to move illegal narcotics across international borders.
According to the Police Inspector General, the June 8 interception was “not a one-off event,” but part of what investigators believe is a broader organized criminal enterprise operating through Liberia’s aviation sector.
The cocaine was intercepted on June 8, 2026, by the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) during cargo screening operations at Roberts International Airport in Margibi County, triggering one of the country’s most extensive narcotics investigations in recent years.
With Paul King now before the Monrovia City Court and additional suspects facing prosecution, the case is expected to remain under intense public scrutiny as investigators continue efforts to dismantle what investigators allege is a far-reaching international drug trafficking network. The proceedings are also expected to test Liberia’s capacity to prosecute complex organized crime cases while reinforcing public confidence in the country’s fight against narcotics trafficking.
