By Gnnliberia
Copyright gnnliberia
By Amos Harris
Grand Cape Mount County – The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) has impounded a petroleum tanker belonging to Kailondo Petroleum Company after discovering forty cartons of Tramadol hidden aboard the vehicle at the Tieni checkpoint in Grand Cape Mount County.
The seizure has sparked major public concern, not only because of the sheer scale of the drug bust but also due to the direct link to a major corporate entity. The incident raises fresh questions about how deeply entrenched drug trafficking may be within Liberia’s established business sector.
According to the LDEA, the illicit consignment was carefully concealed within the tanker, strongly suggesting the involvement of well-organized trafficking networks. The Agency has since launched a full-scale investigation to determine how the drugs were smuggled and who bears ultimate responsibility.
In what observers view as a significant development, the LDEA has formally invited Mr. George Kailondo, head of Kailondo Petroleum, for questioning at its headquarters. While it remains unclear whether the company or its executives were directly involved, the incident casts a considerable shadow over the credibility of one of Liberia’s well-known petroleum firms.
The LDEA emphasized that it has intensified border security operations, citing the Tieni checkpoint bust as evidence of increasing attempts to flood Liberia with dangerous narcotics. Critics, however, argue that seizures of this scale reveal a deeper systemic problem that checkpoints alone may not resolve.
Civil society actors have weighed in, urging the LDEA to pursue the investigation vigorously and avoid shielding influential figures often perceived as untouchable in drug-related cases. Many Liberians have expressed deep skepticism, pointing to past incidents where high-profile names linked to drug trafficking were reportedly cleared without accountability.
The Agency has appealed to communities to remain vigilant and share information, noting that the war against narcotics cannot be won without public cooperation. But for many citizens, the real test lies in whether the LDEA will move beyond the arrests of low-level couriers and tackle powerful individuals and companies suspected of enabling the trade.
The Tieni seizure now stands as a litmus test for Liberia’s fight against drug trafficking—one that could either reinforce public trust in the LDEA or deepen public cynicism about selective justice.
