An officer of the Liberia National Police Highway Division has been arrested for allegedly smuggling a car into the country from neighboring Guinea.
The Joint security personnel assigned at the Liberia-Guinea border in Ganta effectuated the arrest.
Officer Vamoyan Konneh was arrested Thursday, April 25, at the Ganta main border after he used his assigned LNP vehicle with plate number LNP-226 and marked [GSA-LNP-01-19].
The car he allegedly smuggled into the country was plated RC-3855. A border security officer told reporter that the car Konneh was illegally bringing into Liberia was to allegedly be used by himself at his security firm that he operates in Monrovia.
A local journalist in Nimba told Liberia Public Radio that Officer Konneh has used the same border for some time to bring in vehicles, at least three pick-up trucks and had allegedly followed the legal processes, including paying taxes.
But on Thursday, he chose to use his assigned LNP vehicle as an escort for the car he was allegedly smuggling into the country.
A Guinea border source told FrontPageAfrica that Officer Konneh has usually complied with all the documentations on their side before crossing over. This source confirmed that the highway division officer did the same on Thursday but to his surprise, as soon as he crossed over, he turned on his sirens.
Officer Konneh’s arrest was aided by Nimba County Senior Collector Ephraim Miller at the Ganta check-point and the car was taken back to the Ganta-Guinea border. Miller refused to speak to the press on the matter.
Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) offices in Ganta, has fined Officer Konneh L$200,000 before the car he allegedly tried smuggling will be appraised. “After this money is paid into the government’s coffer, he will now have to pay the legal levies for bringing in such car into the country. When that is done, we will release his car to him”, Front page Africa quoted a reliable source as saying.
There are reports that the smuggling of rice, gasoline, cement and others materials are being carried out to the detriment of the Liberian government. The government is struggling to stamp this illegal trade as border officers are not doing much to help.
