A Nigerian national, John Chimezie Mba, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison without parole or suspension after pleading guilty to trafficking 66 tubes of cocaine into Liberia. The Fifth Judicial Circuit Court in Grand Cape Mount County handed down the sentence on 8 October 2026.
Judge Victoria Worlobah Duncan imposed the term following Mba’s guilty plea to three offences under Liberia’s 2014 Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. He received 10 years for the unlicensed possession of controlled drugs and substances, seven years for the transportation and sale of controlled drugs and substances, and a further seven years for illicit trafficking. The court ordered the sentences to run consecutively.
Mba, who resides in Sierra Leone, was arrested at the Bo Waterside Port of Entry while attempting to enter Liberia. Officers of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency became suspicious of his behaviour and took him into custody for questioning. While detained, he complained of stomach pain and requested the use of a toilet. He then excreted 66 tubes containing cocaine, which authorities recovered. Court records valued the drugs at US$39,204, equivalent to LRD$7,056,720.
Because Mba is a foreign national, the court ordered his deportation to Nigeria after he completes his prison sentence. Judge Duncan directed the Ministry of Justice to work with the Liberia Immigration Service to carry out the order.
The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency said the judgment reinforces its commitment to disrupting cross border drug trafficking and holding offenders accountable under Liberian law. The agency has urged the public to report suspected drug related activities.
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