What We Discovered About Senator Konneh's 'Kush' Figure Claim

Claim: "Aljazeera reported that Kush importation increases by 80 percent between 2024 and 2025."

Source: Amara Konneh, Gbarpolu Senator

Full Text: Amara Konneh, Senator of Gbarpolu, appeared on Spoon Talk, a widely listened-to online radio show, where he claimed that Al Jazeera reported an 80 percent increase in Kush importation into Liberia between 2024 and 2025.

The claim appears between 1:22:06 and 1:22:12 of the August 9 broadcast.

His exact word says, "Last week Al Jazeera reported that the Kush importation in our country has increased by 80 percent between 2024 and 2025, and that is alarming because that is the one that is targeting the young people of this country."

In recent months, Liberia has faced waves of extraordinary anti-narcotics operations that have transformed the country's security landscape.

The crisis reached international prominence after authorities intercepted approximately 237.6 kilograms of cocaine, valued at about US$19 million, at Roberts International Airport earlier this year. 

That operation exposed what investigators described as sophisticated trafficking methods involving airport operations and triggered an extensive criminal investigation.

Only weeks later, authorities executed an even more dramatic operation in Duazon, Margibi County, where investigators seized nearly 3.97 metric tons of suspected cocaine with an estimated international street value exceeding US$370 million, one of the largest narcotics seizures ever recorded in Liberia and among the most significant in West Africa.

The scale of both seizures fundamentally altered perceptions of Liberia's role in international narcotics trafficking.

As investigators traced the alleged trafficking operations, allegations emerged suggesting that elements within the security architecture may have been compromised.

President Boakai responded with an unprecedented series of administrative actions, dismissing, suspending, and ordering investigations into officials from several security institutions, including the Liberia National Police (LNP), the National Security Agency (NSA), Roberts International Airport (RIA), and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency itself.

Verification: Since Senator Konneh's August 9 claim, we checked Al Jazeera's most recent coverage of Liberia's drug crisis.

We found an article titled "Liberia's kush crisis: The hidden trade behind a generation at risk—as kush spreads across Liberia, families face the fallout while traffickers remain largely out of reach." It was published August 1 by Lennart Dodoo, the outlet's correspondent.

The article details Liberia's ongoing struggle with the synthetic drug kush, covering several themes: the devastating impact on youth and families, lack of rehabilitation infrastructure, Liberia's struggling justice system, Liberia's role as an international trafficking transit hub, traffickers' adaptive tactics, and the fear this generates locally.

On the specific figures, the article attributes seizure data to the LDEA, reporting that kush seizures more than doubled from roughly 80 kilograms in 2025 to nearly 167 kilograms between September 2025 and June 22, 2026, and that about 38 percent of those arrested were foreign nationals, primarily from Ivory Coast, Guinea, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

Konneh was contacted on the claim on August 14 via messenger, but he did not respond.

A follow-up was done on August 16, and Senator Konneh shared this link with the title, “According to LDEA figures obtained, kush seizures more than doubled, rising from 80.15kg in 2025 to 166.88kg between September 2025 and 22 June 2026." Take a listen for yourself... Interview with Special Agent G. Orlando Demey of the LDEA.”

He said, “So, my 80% assertion is low based on the official stats the LDEA officer stated in the audio. Kush continues to be a serious challenge."

We contacted LDEA to put percentages on the statistics that were released. Olando Demey said, "I asked them; they are telling me that they will not respond to it until they get permission from the Director."

Dodoo, the author of the article, was contacted to confirm the statistics and determine whether Konneh's claim is correct, but he shared the below  with us.
 

i

The data did not display percentages as stated by Konneh in the radio interview. 

We contacted a statistician, Issa Sore, on the data; this is what he shared.

2025: approximately 80 kg

September 2025 to June 22, 2026: approximately 167 kg

Increase: 167 − 80 = 87 kg

Percentage increase:

(167-80)/80 x 100 = 87/80 x 100

So, seizures increased by approximately 108.75%, or roughly 109%.

Conclusion: With the facts found, it is established that the claim by Gbarpolu Senator Amara Konneh is correct and the figure is an understated percentage. 
Also,  although Aljazeera's report did not add a percentage of Krush importation in Liberia in its article, Sore said the statistic is 109%