A Nigerian national, John Chimezie Mba, has received a 24-year prison sentence in Liberia after authorities recovered 66 tubes of cocaine he allegedly concealed inside his body.
The Fifth Judicial Circuit Court handed down the sentence on October 8, 2026, after Mba pleaded guilty to three drug-related offences under Liberia’s 2014 Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
According to a statement from the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), presiding judge Justice Victoria Worlobah Duncan imposed separate prison terms for each offence.
The court sentenced Mba to 10 years for possessing controlled drugs without a licence, seven years for transporting and selling drugs, and another seven years for illicit trafficking. The sentences will run consecutively, bringing his total prison term to 24 years without parole or suspension.
The LDEA disclosed that its officers intercepted Mba at the Bo Waterside Port of Entry while he attempted to enter Liberia from neighbouring Sierra Leone, where he resides. Subsequently agency officers became suspicious of his behaviour and subjecting him to further investigation.
While in detention, Mba reportedly complained of stomach pain before expelling 66 tubes of cocaine, which authorities subsequently recovered.
The seized narcotics had an estimated street value of $39,204, equivalent to 7,056,720 Liberian dollars, according to the agency.
However, the case adds to Liberia’s ongoing efforts to tackle illicit drug trafficking and enforce its controlled substances laws against offenders operating within its borders.
Following the court’s decision, Mba will serve the full 24-year sentence without the possibility of parole or suspension under the terms announced by the court. The authorities also expect to deport him to Nigeria after he completes his prison term.
The conviction followed Mba’s guilty plea, which allowed the court to proceed with sentencing on the three charges brought against him under Liberian law.
By Musekir Faisat OmolaraÂ
