The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency and the National Security Agency say they arrested a 31-year-old Guinean Bissau national named Malam Conte.
It follows a tip-off from the U.S. government.
Liberia Public Radio correspondent in the Liberian capital Monrovia said the incident occurred on Saturday October 1 at about 1pm local time after LDEA stormed the SONIT Liberia Inc. compound and seized a huge quantity of raw cocaine concealed among frozen goods owned by SONIT Inc.
SONIT Incorporated is frozen food company operating in Liberia located at the Topoe Village area along the Japanese Free Way.
company has since distanced itself from the act and is said to be assisting the LDEA to ensure the arrest.
The confiscated cocaine valued is at US$100million.
In the meantime, the prime suspect Conte has admitted having connection with the consignment and iterated that he has since arrived in the country about two weeks ago to await the consignment.
Investigation suggests that suspect Conte was asked by his international business partners to follow the consignment and ensure it reaches the final destination. he however decline to state whether Liberia is the final destination of the product.
Police preliminary investigation also established that suspect Malam arrived in the country with two other accomplices who checked in at the Royal Grand Hotel. They later moved over to the Boulevard Palace Hotel where the LDEA was able to pick up additional information leading towards their syndicate.
LDEA told local media that suspects Gustavo Henrique, a Brazilian and Adulai Djibril a Portuguese who both accompanied Malam were not in their hotel room at the time the LDEA and NSA agents arrived.
Suspect Malam is currently under the LDEA custody undergoing full scale investigation, while suspects Gustavo Henrique and Adulai Djibril are at large.
Second largest seizure
If officially confirmed, the cocaine will be the second largest narcotics arrest in recent history of Liberia after a 92 barrels cocaine was arrested on Liberian water in 2008 with a street value at €500 million or US$ 600million at the time.
The 2.5 tones was on the ship, the Blue Atlantic, was spotted on the high seas by a French military vessel, which intercepted and towed it to the port.
In 2010,Liberia deported seven people to the US after they were arrested for allegedly trying to ship 4,000kg of cocaine in the country.
The suspects are accused of trying to bribe top Liberian officials to protect large cocaine shipments “since 2007”.
