Government tight-lipped on latest drug bust

By: Emmanuel wise Jipoh

The Government of Liberia (GOL) seems to be keeping a tight lip on drug traffickers invading the country, especially in the wake of fresh discovery of another consignment of unprocessed cocaine worth US$40 million at the Freeport of Monrovia.

The latest catch occurred on Monday, January 30, 2023, by officers of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) after tipoff by a whistleblower.

Upon impoundment of the 179 packs of unprocessed hardcore narcotics, reports again linked with the same TRH Trading Corporation, a subsidiary of the AJA Group of companies that were last year October 2022 linked to the discovery and subsequent confiscation of cocaine valued at US$100 million.

As in previous case, the latest consignment of drugs was concealed in a frozen food container at the Freeport of Monrovia.

Last week’s arrest and the October 2022 discovery bring to US$140 million, the worth of narcotic substances that have been easily transited thru Liberia under the Weah administration in just three months.

Liberians are yet to see full prosecution of cartels trading these substances and their illegal entry here, without a proper check.

Questions are in the air about security at the nation’s main port, given frequent discovery of drugs and arms there.

In January, huge cache of assorted arms, including automatic rifles entered the country through the Freeport of Monrovia in a forty-foot container before it was subsequently confiscated by the Police.

TRH Trading Corporation, a conglomerate of AJA Holdings Group, is again entangled as the main player in the smuggling of cocaine worth US$40 million to Liberia, yet they remain under the protection of the Government of Liberia (GOL) without facing legal action.

A New Dawn investigation establishes that the TRH Trading Corporation is a key government partner in terms of taxes.

They are on record for partnering with the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in December 2018 to import several thousand bags of Pro-Poor rice (25kgs) and other commodities.

This paper also gathered that TRH Trading Corporation is the alleged owner of container marked MNBU4204747 that contained the 197 packs of cocaine seized out of a total of 30 containers brought into the country by the corporation.

This is contrary to initial reports that there were only 11 packs found in the seized container, despite its early alert to the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA) that enabled the seizure.

Meanwhile, since the seizure of the US$40 million in cocaine, the Government of Liberia (GOL) is yet to officially speak on the latest catch.

Keen observes note that TRH Trading Corporation could be throwing stones and hiding by being the first to alert government.

A TRH statement issued on Monday, January 30, 2023, said the largest importer of frozen foods in Liberia, alerted authorities of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), the Liberia Seaport Police, the Liberia Maritime Authority, and the Port Facility Security Office in Liberia to yet another attempt by drug smugglers to bring narcotics in the country.

The container seized on Monday is marked MNBU4204747 with products manufactured by BRF, a Brazil Frozen Food company that supplies frozen goods to multiple countries globally. Investigation continues. https://thenewdawnliberia.com/editorial-privileges-to-trh-trading-corporation-undermines-trust/Editing by Jonathan Browne