Liberia President Boakai Fires Senior Security Officials in Cocaine Probe

President Joseph Nyuma Boakai of Liberia dismissed several senior government and security officials and suspended others after investigations into two large cocaine seizures. Among those removed were Mark Egon Kuiah, deputy director for operations at Roberts International Airport; Johnny Bolar Dean, commissioner of police for criminal investigation, intelligence and INTERPOL; and Patrick Doe, deputy director for administration at the National Security Agency. Boakai also recalled and suspended Patrick Komasu, who had been seconded to the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, and dismissed additional airport security and police officers.

The seizures involved roughly 4,200 kilograms of cocaine, including 198 plates seized at Roberts International Airport and 3,971 plates confiscated from premises linked to foreign nationals. The president said the measures aim to strengthen accountability, protect the integrity of public institutions, and demonstrate that no official is above the law, amid concerns about transnational drug trafficking in Liberia and the wider West African region.