Liberia Makes Major Drug Bust, Seizes Over $300 Million Worth of Drugs; Foreign Nationals Arrested
By: Laymah Kollie
VOA Community, Paynesville, July 22, 2026 — In the afternoon hours of Tuesday, authorities of the Joint Security, headed by the National Security Agency (NSA), carried out a wave of arrests at a stash house in the VOA Community, Paynesville, along the Robertsfield Highway.
During the raid, authorities seized more than 3,971 kilograms of cocaine valued at approximately three hundred seventeen million, six hundred ninety thousand United States dollars (US$317,690,000).
The Joint Security has so far arrested three suspects in connection with the drugs: Edison Brown, a Liberian national; Johann David Garces Grajales, who holds both Colombian and Spanish passports; and Srdan Seles, a Serbian national.
Tuesday’s raid was authorized by a search warrant granted by Judge William Saygar, Stipendiary Magistrate of the Paynesville City Court, on July 21, 2026. The operation was led by Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman.
According to investigators, the bust followed a 13-month investigation by the NSA without international support. Authorities said the raid was prompted by a tip from a cartel member currently in police custody.
“Since the seizure of the $19 million worth of drugs at RIA, we have been investigating. Our painstaking investigation and smart investigative work led us to the stash house,” a senior member of the security team said.
More arrests are expected in the coming days, as questions surrounding ownership of the compound allegedly occupied by the cartel and other members of its operations remain unanswered.
The latest drug bust comes more than a month after the Joint Security seized drugs valued at $19 million at the Roberts International Airport.
Liberia’s Drug History
On June 8, investigators intercepted 237.6 kilograms of drugs worth more than $19.2 million at RIA. The drugs were hidden in six cargo boxes labeled as Maggi cubes and lappas.
The discovery was reportedly made after investigators identified discrepancies in the weight of the cargo and suspicious findings during an X-ray examination.
Although several individuals have been arrested and remain in custody, persons identified as prime suspects in the case reportedly left the country before warrants were issued.
In October 2022, through coordination with the United States Embassy, Liberia’s security apparatus arrested individuals and seized 520 kilograms of cocaine valued at approximately US$100 million at the Sonit Liberia Corporation compound in Monrovia.
The seizure was considered the largest single drug seizure in Liberia’s history at the time—a record now broken by Tuesday’s bust.
The case, which many believed would serve as a major boost to the fight against drugs and illegal substances, took a different turn when a jury acquitted all four defendants in May 2023.
Liberia was subsequently ordered by the presiding judge to return US$200,000 in cash seized by authorities during the operation. Soon afterward, the defendants reportedly left Liberia, and to date, little progress has been made in the case.
Back in 2014, authorities seized more than 770 kilograms of marijuana, along with smaller quantities of cocaine and heroin. Seventy arrests were made in connection with the case.
Although the case proceeded to court, the investigation and prosecution were later disrupted by the Ebola pandemic in 2014.
While the latest arrests signal renewed efforts in Liberia’s fight against drugs, analysts say limitations in court proceedings and challenges in generating sufficient evidence for prosecution remain major obstacles.
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