Five Suspects Arrested as LDEA Expands Anti-Drug Operation in Cross-Counties Clampdown

Monrovia, Liberia: In a strategic escalation of its anti-narcotics operations, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) has confiscated substantial quantities of narcotics with a combined street value exceeding 1.03 million Liberian dollars across five counties, arresting five individuals implicated in extensive rural drug trafficking networks.

By: Abraham Sylvester Panto

The seizures, executed during coordinated operations throughout May 2025, reflect significant efforts to disrupt the distribution of illicit substances beyond Liberia’s urban centers and signal a strategic intensification of law enforcement focus on rural narcotics proliferation.

The operations commenced in River Gee County, where officers assigned to the Tienpo Detail apprehended 33-year-old Mary Tarpeh during a routine patrol. A search revealed 33 wraps of Kush and two wraps of marijuana in her possession, collectively valued at approximately LRD 8,450.

Following being formally charged, Suspect Tarpeh was forwarded to the Tienpo Magisterial Court, marking the initial enforcement success of the crackdown.

LDEA’s efforts shifted to Grand Cape Mount County, where agents arrested 45-year-old Zoeren Varmia at her residence in the Kru Town Community of Robertsport City.

The search uncovered 0.5 kilograms of processed marijuana dust alongside 50 sachets of marijuana-infused peanut butter, at a combined street value estimated at LRD 14,500, equivalent to USD 76. Varmia faces prosecution at the Robertsport Magisterial Court on drug-related charges.

Further expanding the operation, LDEA agents intercepted 36-year-old Prince Sei at the Timbo River Bridge Checkpoint in Rivercess County.

The search uncovered three packs of Tramadol, 22 grams of Kush, and 51 grams of cocaine, with an estimated combined street value of USD 1,350 or LRD 256,500. Sei has been charged and remanded for trial, exemplifying the agency’s capacity to intercept pharmaceutical and controlled substances within rural trafficking corridors.

In Sinoe County, a targeted search led by the LDEA Chief of Operations culminated in the arrest of 33-year-old Agnes Toe in the Seabah Community of Greenville City. Agents seized 37 plates of high-grade marijuana valued at USD 3,700 or LRD 703,000.

Suspect Toe was promptly charged and forwarded to the appropriate judicial authorities, underscoring the seriousness with which law enforcement addresses narcotics trafficking within regional jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, the LDEA crackdown extended to Lofa County, where authorities detained 45-year-old local farmer Hallie Visikenia along the Kpakutsu-Foya Tengia Road after uncovering six cans of marijuana with a street value of USD 246, or LRD 46,740.

Suspect Visikenia admitted to relying primarily on narcotics sales for income and currently remains in custody at Voinjama Central Prison, awaiting prosecution.

With five arrests executed within a six-day operational period, the LDEA’s strategic anti-drug initiative has illuminated the entrenched presence of narcotics distribution networks extending across multiple counties, exposing an illicit trade system that appears to be leveraging socio-economic disparities to facilitate the proliferation of synthetic and pharmaceutical drugs in Liberia’s most economically disadvantaged regions.

The aggregated findings across these counties reveal an alarming diffusion of narcotics trafficking into Liberia’s rural regions, featuring a spectrum of substances including plant-based drugs, pharmaceuticals, and infused consumables.

The diversity and volume of seized materials underscore the evolving sophistication and reach of illicit networks, which exploit geographic and socio-economic vulnerabilities to sustain operations.