Boxes containing drugs confiscated during an attempt to smuggle out of the Roberts International Airport.

In a surprising turn of events, the boxes confiscated during an attempt to smuggle them out of the Roberts International Airport directly from the tarmac through an unauthorized gate by the airport’s chief security have now been officially declared as moringa tea by airport authorities, in the presence of customs and joint security personnel.

However, information gathered from sources within security circles that tests conducted showed that some of the packages contained methamphetamine or meth.

The tests were conducted by the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) using test kits provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Methamphetamine, commonly known as Meth, is a synthetic stimulant with a high potential for addiction. It is sought after for its ability to induce euphoria, often described as a feeling of well-being, which can endure for up to 24 hours. Methamphetamine is readily accessible and affordable, particularly to adolescents, due to its relatively low production cost.

This substance can be administered through various methods, including injection, smoking, snorting, or oral ingestion. Injecting or smoking Methamphetamine results in an immediate and intense rush of its effects. In contrast, the euphoric sensation from snorting or oral ingestion is less intense and requires more time to manifest, taking approximately 3 to 5 minutes for snorting and 15 to 20 minutes for oral consumption.

Monday’s disclosure that the confiscated boxes contained organic tea, contrary to the suspicion of it being drugs, raised a lot of eyebrows within the public and even the security sector.

Meth is also said to be a base product for kush.

Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia are grappling with an increasing number of young people becoming addicted to kush or K2. Abuse of the drug has already killed several people in the region.

Yet despite the aftereffects — which include falling body injuries and loss of self-esteem — users still search for an opportunity to obtain more.

“If they are saying these were packages of tea, why were they secretly kept hidden on the far side of the apron, away from prying eyes and CCTV cameras, and being escorted by the airport’s top three Security Chiefs?” a security source asked rhetorically.

According to our source, the consignment of drugs was being escorted by RIA Security Manager Samuel Freeman when it was intercepted by the officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

Another security personnel posited, “Why would such a consignment that was caught moving through an unauthorized gate not be opened on the spot before seizure?”

The unanswered question remains: why did the airport authority and customs keep the suspicious consignment for 12 days before opening it, especially after the account of what unfolded hit the media?

What also baffled many was that the owner of the consignment was seen at the Roberts International Airport when the boxes were being opened in the presence of customs and the joint security, chewing some of the leaves to prove that it was moringa tea leaves.

“If this man is the owner of the consignment that was being smuggled out of the airport, why isn’t he being held for an attempt to defraud the state through tax evasion?” our security source asked.

Speaking to journalists at the Roberts International Airport, Mr. Samuel Freeman, the RIA chief of security, said the boxes were confiscated and placed in the Customs’ warehouse since August 31, but he became concerned that he was allegedly involved with drugs.

He, however, could not explain the delay in the time it was confiscated and the unboxing.

On Sunday, February 10, the Management of the Roberts International Airport confirmed that suspicious boxes transported directly from the tarmac in a minibus and being escorted by the airport’s chief of security were intercepted by officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia. According to the airport management, the AFL had reported that Mr. Freeman had claimed that the package belonged to Finda Bundo, the President’s Chief of Protocol. However, Mr. Freeman denied saying such to the AFL officers.

On Monday, the Assistant Commissioner of Customs at the Liberia Revenue Authority, Atty. D. Blamo Kofa told Journalists that the ten boxes seized by the Armed Forces of Liberia contained a hundred packs of moringa leaves contrary to the alleged Drugs reported on social media. He, however, said the LRA did not have the capacity to determine whether the leaves were actually moringa and would therefore be turned over to the LDEA for further testing.