Liberia battles a surging synthetic drug scourge and a hidden cocaine trade

The synthetic street drug known as kush has become a pervasive problem in Liberia’s capital, prompting parents like Miata Paye to spend scarce resources on failed rehabilitation attempts for their children. With the government’s Bentol City rehab centre still incomplete, many turn to private clinics that lack proper oversight. Data from the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency show more than 1,100 arrests for drug trafficking from late 2025 to mid-2026, yet only eight convictions, raising doubts about the reach of law-enforcement efforts.

Two major cocaine busts - one at Roberts International Airport involving 237 kg of the drug and another in Duazon uncovering nearly four tonnes - expose a lucrative trafficking route that dwarfs the local kush market. Seizures of kush have more than doubled in the same period, and the drug mix remains poorly understood. Community leaders such as Thomas Wesseh assist police in locating hotspots but report that dealers quickly return after raids, leaving residents vulnerable.