Jendema/Kenema – November 21, 2025; A Liberian citizen is in custody in Sierra Leone after being caught with restricted pharmaceutical drugs, part of a string of arrests that underscore rising concerns over cross-border narcotics trafficking between Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Terry Tiaworon, a Liberian national, was intercepted by Sierra Leone Police just hours after another major seizure in Kenema. Officers recovered 33 cards of Tramadol from his possession during a routine stop-and-search operation.
The arrest of the Liberian suspect came on the same day as three other significant drug-related detentions in the Southern Region:
– In Kenema, Mariatu Koroma, a staff member of RTI Kenema, was arrested with 93 parcels of dried leaves suspected to be Cannabis Sativa.
– At the Jendema border post — the main land crossing between Liberia and Sierra Leone — two Sierra Leonean residents of Jendema town, Alhaji Jalloh and Alpha Jalloh, were separately apprehended. Each was carrying 248 cards of Tramadol (250 mg), a total of nearly 500 cards between them.
Authorities say the involvement of a Liberian national, combined with the large quantities of Tramadol seized at the Jendema crossing, points to active trafficking routes linking the two Mano River Union countries.
All four suspects, including Terry Tiaworon, have been handed over to the Southern Region’s Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU) for further investigation and charging.
Police sources indicate that joint intelligence and increased patrols along the porous Liberia–Sierra Leone border have led to the recent surge in successful interdictions.
