–Journalists Mandate Union Leadership to Engage Lawyers After Police Fail to Substantiate Claim That Drug Cartel Paid Liberian Media to Influence Ongoing Cocaine Investigations
MONROVIA, Liberia – The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) has authorized its leadership to initiate legal action against the Government if authorities fail to produce evidence supporting allegations that members of the Liberian media received money from an alleged drug cartel to influence ongoing investigations into the country’s record cocaine seizures.
The decision was reached Monday during a mass membership meeting held at the Union’s headquarters in Monrovia, where journalists and media practitioners overwhelmingly voted to mandate the PUL leadership to engage legal counsel and pursue appropriate legal remedies within one week.
The resolution follows allegations made on July 30 by Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman, speaking on behalf of the Government’s Joint Security Investigative Taskforce, that the Taskforce had “verified and established” that an alleged drug cartel had injected money into sections of the Liberian media to sway public opinion and influence investigations into the seizure of more than half a billion dollars’ worth of cocaine.
However, according to the PUL, the Government has yet to present any evidence to substantiate the serious accusation.
PUL Says Allegation Threatens Media Credibility
During Monday’s meeting, members expressed deep concern over what they described as an unsubstantiated allegation capable of damaging the credibility of Liberia’s independent media and endangering the safety of journalists.
The Union warned that accusations of such magnitude, if left unsupported by evidence, have the potential to erode public confidence in the press while exposing media practitioners to unnecessary risks.
PUL members also argued that the Inspector General’s statement should not go unchallenged, suggesting it may have been made out of frustration and intended to divert public attention from increasing media reports linking senior government and security officials to the broader narcotics investigation.
Motion Calls for Immediate Legal Response
The motion authorizing legal action was introduced by journalist Winston Blyden after more than an hour of deliberations.
“Following more than an hour of discussions on the damaging statement from the Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman, I move, if I can receive a second, that this body mandates the leadership of the Press Union of Liberia to contact our lawyers with immediate effect to seek appropriate remedies to this issue and report within one week,” Blyden said.
The proposal received overwhelming support from members attending the meeting.
Union Seeks Evidence, Not Confrontation
PUL President Julius Kanubah, who presided over the meeting, commended members for what he described as their strong solidarity in defending the integrity and independence of the Liberian media.
Kanubah emphasized that the Union is not seeking a confrontation with the Government but insisted that authorities have a responsibility to provide credible evidence if they possess information linking any media institution or journalist to organized drug trafficking.
He maintained that such evidence would strengthen—not weaken—the national campaign against illicit drugs, while cautioning that broad allegations unsupported by facts risk undermining both press freedom and public confidence.
According to the PUL President, if the Government has credible information implicating specific media organizations or journalists, it should make that evidence available rather than leaving the entire media community under suspicion.
Background
The dispute comes amid Liberia’s expanding anti-narcotics campaign following the seizure of approximately 237.6 kilograms of cocaine at Roberts International Airport and the subsequent discovery of an additional 3,971 plates of cocaine, bringing the estimated combined street value of narcotics seized in the broader investigation to approximately US$317.68 million.
The investigation has led to the dismissal, suspension, arrest and prosecution of several government officials and security personnel as authorities pursue what they describe as an organized drug trafficking network operating within Liberia.
The allegation that sections of the media received financial support from the alleged cartel has generated widespread debate, with the Press Union insisting that any such claims must be supported by credible evidence or withdrawn.
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