LOCAL NEWS
GRAND GEDEH – The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) in Grand Gedeh County has rearrested a 41-year-old suspected drug trafficker following a days-long manhunt after she allegedly escaped custody during a routine security operation earlier this month.
By: Trokon S. Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
The suspect, identified as Martha Toe, is currently being held at the LDEA headquarters in Zwedru, where she is undergoing further investigation in connection with alleged drug trafficking activities.
Authorities confirmed that she was apprehended again on May 14, 2026, in a coordinated operation involving LDEA officers in both Grand Gedeh and neighboring Grand Kru County.
According to the LDEA, the case dates back to May 6, 2026, when officers mounted a routine checkpoint inspection along a major route in Grand Gedeh County. During the operation, agents reportedly stopped a commercial vehicle traveling from Monrovia to Grand Kru County for a standard search.
During the inspection, officers allegedly discovered eight plates of compressed marijuana carefully concealed inside the vehicle. The agency estimated the street value of the seized narcotics at around US$800, equivalent to more than L$152,000.
Investigators later linked the illicit substances to Martha Toe, who was among the passengers in the vehicle at the time of the interception.
However, the situation took an unexpected turn when the suspect allegedly requested permission to step away from the checkpoint under the pretext of answering nature’s call. Security sources say she used the opportunity to flee into nearby bushes, triggering an immediate alert and a manhunt by LDEA personnel.
Following her escape, the driver of the vehicle was detained and taken to the LDEA headquarters in Zwedru for questioning. During interrogation, he reportedly denied ownership of the drugs, claiming he had been hired solely as a transporter and insisting that the narcotics belonged to the suspect.
Based on intelligence gathered during the initial investigation, the LDEA Grand Gedeh detachment launched a coordinated search operation with support from officers in Grand Kru County. After several days of surveillance and tracking efforts, the suspect was eventually located and rearrested without further incident.
The LDEA has confirmed that Martha Toe remains in custody as investigators finalize case files and compile supporting evidence for submission to prosecutorial authorities.
The agency says the arrest is part of its ongoing nationwide crackdown on illegal drug trafficking and substance abuse, particularly along key transit routes in southeastern Liberia.
Officials have also reaffirmed their commitment to tightening security at checkpoints and strengthening surveillance operations aimed at disrupting the movement of narcotics across the country.
