President Joseph Boakai has nominated a new head of Liberia’s drug enforcement agency following two enormous cocaine seizures in recent weeks, including the largest drug bust in the west African nation’s history.
He made the announcement late Monday following a joint security meeting to discuss the recent seizures, valued at $19 million and $317 million respectively. Its he fourth Leadership change at the agency under Boakai who took office in January 2024.
The cocaine busts came amid a large public outcry for increased drug enforcement accountability, including greater scrutiny of any potential involvement by public officials and police.
Bokai appointed retired Major General Daniel Dee Ziankahn to serve as director general of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), a nomination that will also require Senate confirmation.
Ziankahn, who has worked as the former chief of staff of the armed forces, as minister of national defense and as military adviser to the president, will serve as acting director in the meantime.
In late July authorities conducted Liberia’s largest drug bust ever, seizing nearly four tons of cocaine in an operation on the road leading to the country’s main airport, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the capital Monrovia.
That followed another massive seizure of approximately 238 kilograms (524 pounds) of cocaine that had been presented as ordinary commercial cargo, including Maggi seasoning cubes, at Roberts International Airport in June.
Ziankahn’s appointment “signals the administration’s determination to elevate Liberia’s fight against drugs to a new level,” a statement posted to the presidency’s Facebook page said.
The appointment follows submission of an investigative report by the Ministry of Justice and comes in conjunction with Boakai’s indefinite suspension of former LDEA officer-in-charge Fitzgerald Biago.
While the Justice Department report did not establish involvement by Biago in illegal narcotics trafficking, it “identified ethical concerns that warrant further scrutiny to determine whether additional administrative or other appropriate actions may be necessary.”
Last month Boakai dismissed 12 officials, ranging from an airport operations administrator to law enforcement supervisors over the narcotics.
Boakai had vowed to “expose and destroy” drug trafficking networks and called for a coordinated investigation following the first cocaine seizure in June.
West Africa is a transit point for cocaine produced in Latin America and shipped to consumer countries in Europe, according to monitors.
