A Nigerian national, John Chimezie Mba, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison without parole or suspension in Liberia for cocaine trafficking.

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 by the Liberia drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA).

Presiding over the case, Justice Victoria Worlobah Duncan sentenced him 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 are to run consecutively, bringing his total jail term to 24 years.

The agency disclosed that Mba, who resides in Sierra Leone, was intercepted by its officers at the Bo Waterside Port of Entry while attempting to enter Liberia. Investigators reportedly became suspicious of his behaviour, prompting further action.

While in detention, the suspect allegedly complained of stomach pain before excreting 66 tubes of cocaine, which authorities recovered. The seized drugs were valued at $39,204, equivalent to 7,056,720 Liberian dollars.

Upon completing his prison term, Mba is expected to be deported to Nigeria.