A controversy has erupted in Liberia over the detention of former Highway Patrol Chief Wadell Kwarbo, who is accused of escorting a large cocaine shipment valued at approximately US$317 million. According to reports, Kwarbo was stripped of his duties and later arrested and charged alongside Anthony T. Blaye, who served as Chief of the Liberia National Police Financial Crime Division. The two have been accused of using marked police vehicles to escort the shipment.
A statement attributed to Kwarbo, who remains detained at the Monrovia Central Prison, identified Police Inspector General Gregory O. W. Coleman as the officer who allegedly ordered him to escort the drug van. However, Kwarbo's family has denied that he made such a statement, distancing themselves from the allegations against Coleman. The family described the statement circulating in Kwarbo's name as "malicious" and urged media organizations and the public to verify information before publishing or repeating allegations.
Coleman has rejected the allegation, characterizing it as part of a prolonged campaign to undermine his credibility. He said that for the past four months, he has been the target of a sustained disinformation campaign intended to damage his character and silence his fight against the culture of impunity. Coleman emphasized that freedom of expression must be respected but warned against spreading false information concerning an active criminal investigation.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of Liberia's largest cocaine trafficking investigation, involving a shipment authorities have valued at approximately US$317 million. According to findings attributed to a joint Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency and Liberia National Police investigation, the cocaine was transported from a coastal landing site to a stash house using two police vehicles in an escort formation. Liberian authorities publicly destroyed the seized cocaine on July 30 in what officials described as the country's largest-ever drug destruction exercise.
Kwarbo's lawyers have argued that he is being detained largely on allegations that he provided an escort to principal defendants after the alleged crimes had already been committed. They maintain that the prosecution has not presented objective evidence placing Kwarbo at the scene before or during the commission of the alleged offenses. Kwarbo's lawyers have also challenged allegations attributed to co-defendant Christian Nyantee, arguing that Nyantee may have a motive to shift responsibility.
The controversy has raised several questions, including who spoke to Spoon FM on Kwarbo's behalf, whether the statement attributed to him was actually made by him, and how the statement emerged from the prison. It is also unclear whether the written statement Kwarbo was quoted as referring to exists, what it contains, and whether investigators have sought or obtained his telephone records through the court.
Kwarbo remains in detention and, under Liberia's Constitution, is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Analysts say that the questions raised may be resolved through evidence presented in court rather than competing accounts outside the courtroom. The case has sparked concerns about police involvement in the cocaine trafficking and the credibility of the investigation.
Key points
- Wadell Kwarbo's detention is linked to a US$317 million cocaine shipment.
- Kwarbo's family denies that he made a statement accusing Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman of ordering him to escort the drug van.
- The controversy has raised questions about police involvement in the cocaine trafficking and the credibility of the investigation.
