Jefferson Koijee, former mayor of Monrovia and secretary general of Liberia’s opposition Congress for Democratic Change has asked the U.S. Embassy to back an independent international investigation into a $19 million cocaine trafficking case, arguing that the scandal points to possible links between senior security officials, unexplained luxury vehicles and criminal networks.
In a letter to Chargé d’Affaires Joseph Zadrozny, Koijee said the case has raised national security concerns and alleged that Liberia’s domestic investigation lacks transparency.
Koijee joined other prominent figures including Alexander Cummings of he Opposition Alternative National Congress to plead with the Government of the United Sates of America to lead credible inquest into narcotic trade targeting Liberia.
He urged Washington and other international partners to support an outside probe, saying public confidence cannot be restored through local institutions alone.
Koijee singled out Liberia’s Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman, accusing him of exerting undue influence over the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency and weakening its independence.
He also alleged that repeated appointments of police officials to lead the anti-drug agency have concentrated control over the investigation.
The former mayor further tied the scandal to a suspicious lifestyle around senior officials, pointing to the appearance of multiple Toyota Hilux trucks and Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs in the convoys of top government figures.
He said the vehicles, which he claimed were not properly registered through Liberia’s General Services Agency, included units allegedly distributed to officials including Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, Vice President Jeremiah Koung, House Speaker Richard Koon and Coleman himself.
Koijee said the vehicles’ presence, combined with Coleman’s salary and the absence of a budget line for such acquisitions, intensified suspicions that the police chief may be benefiting from cartel support.
He also alleged that Coleman was in the U.K. on June 18 and 19, dates he said coincided with the period when the cocaine shipment was believed to have been headed there. The Oracle News Daily could not independently verify those claims.
The police did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Liberia has faced repeated concerns over narcotics trafficking through the West African corridor, where investigators and regional officials have long warned that criminal networks can exploit weak institutions and porous borders.
Koijee said the matter should be examined “without fear or favor” and warned that failure to act could undermine Liberia’s democracy and stability.
