Sealed suitcases, boxes hidden in a lorry, and a street value of more than $370 million. Liberia has just recorded its biggest drug bust ever.

In what authorities are calling the largest drug seizure in Liberia's history, a huge quantity of high-grade cocaine has been intercepted at a suspected illegal storage facility near the capital, Monrovia, cbinews.tv reports.

Videos and photos released by police show dozens of sealed suitcases and boxes stuffed inside a lorry, all believed to contain cocaine.

Police Chief Gregory Coleman told reporters forensic tests had confirmed the substance was cocaine, with an estimated street value of over $370 million about £220 million.

Several people were arrested during the raid in Duazon, a town about 20km east of Monrovia, including two foreigners and several Liberians. No formal charges have been announced yet.

The police chief said Tuesday's seizure was the result of a long-running surveillance operation.

"Between 2018 and 2023, apparently there was a resurface of major trafficking and transiting in Liberia. Over the last one-and-a-half years, we've been surveilling them and this is the result of that operation," Coleman said.

He added that the drugs were "tested and confirmed" to be cocaine, describing it as the "largest drugs bust" in Liberia in recent years.

It is still unclear where the drugs came from or where they were heading. Coleman confirmed one of the foreigners was carrying two passports Spanish and Colombian while the other was holding a Serbian passport.

Reacting to the bust, Vice-President Jeremiah Koung praised the security forces and warned that whoever is found culpable will "feel the full weight of the law, regardless of who you are".

The Duazon operation comes just weeks after another major interception at Roberts International Airport last month, where officers discovered six cargo boxes falsely declared as food seasoning and textiles. Inside, investigators found nearly 200 compressed blocks of cocaine destined for export.

That airport seizure sparked political controversy, with critics accusing authorities of dragging their feet, allowing some suspects to flee before arrests could be made. President Joseph Boakai has since ordered a joint investigation involving the police and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA). Several suspects have been charged, and international arrest warrants are being pursued for others.

West Africa has long been regarded by international law enforcement as a key transit route for cocaine trafficked from South America to Europe, taking advantage of porous borders and weak enforcement.

According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, at least 30% of cocaine destined for Europe now passes through the region, while local consumption, including crack cocaine, is also rising. Cocaine seizures in West Africa have increased steadily since 2019, reaching about 30 tonnes in 2025.

The UN has also warned that the "increasingly sophisticated operations launched by drug cartels is an issue of great concerns".

Liberia itself has seen several high-profile seizures in recent years, including a 520kg haul intercepted at Monrovia's seaport in 2022.

Since taking office in 2024, President Boakai has reshuffled the leadership of Liberia's drug enforcement agency several times, as pressure mounts to tackle the menace.

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