President Boakai Appoints New LDEA Chief Amid Ethics Probe

President Joseph Nyuma Boakai appointed retired Major General Daniel Dee Ziankahn as Director General of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) on August 11, 2026. Ziankahn, a former Minister of National Defense, will lead the agency alongside newly appointed Deputy Directors General Precious Rue for Operations and Prince Mulbah for Administration. The leadership overhaul elevates narcotics trafficking to a national security emergency following massive cocaine seizures at Roberts International Airport and in Duazon, Margibi County.

The appointments follow a Ministry of Justice investigation into Fitzgerald T. M. Biago, the former LDEA Officer-in-Charge. Boakai initially ordered a 48-hour probe after allegations surfaced that Biago accepted a Toyota pickup from an individual linked to drug traffickers. While the Ministry of Justice cleared Biago of direct narcotics trafficking, the report flagged significant ethical transgressions. Consequently, Boakai indefinitely suspended Biago from the Liberia National Police.

These actions are part of a broader government effort to combat synthetic drugs like kush and dismantle organized crime networks. The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia welcomed the swift presidential action, though Executive Director Anderson D. Miamen urged the inclusion of independent legal and civil society institutions to ensure the credibility of such investigations.