Monrovia, Liberia – security and rule of law practitioner Alfred Jah Johnson has called on Liberia’s Joint Security to expand its investigation into the US$317.68 million cocaine seizure, arguing that the reported recovery of only US$7,000 does not correspond with the scale of the operation.
Speaking Monday in an exclusive interview on Prime FM, Johnson questioned why no money laundering charges have been announced in connection with the case. He said major international drug trafficking networks typically involve significant financial transactions to facilitate the movement of narcotics and conceal illegal proceeds.
Johnson maintained that the US$7,000 reportedly recovered during the operation is disproportionately small compared to the value of the cocaine seized. According to him, criminal organizations involved in trafficking drugs worth hundreds of millions of dollars would ordinarily have access to far greater sums of money.
He further argued that the ongoing investigation should not only focus on drug-related offenses but should also examine potential money laundering activities, as financial crimes are often closely linked to large-scale narcotics trafficking.
Johnson believes the limited amount of cash recovered may suggest that additional funds connected to the operation remain hidden elsewhere. He urged the Joint Security to intensify its investigation by tracing financial transactions and identifying any undisclosed assets tied to the alleged drug trafficking network.
