Liberian joint security forces have arrested a 41-year-old Sierra Leonean after he was caught allegedly smuggling more than 1,500 tablets of suspected Tapentadol – a strong painkiller similar to Tramadol – across the Sierra Leone-Liberia border.
The suspect, identified as Philip S. P. Lumeh, was intercepted on Tuesday, September 22, at Bo-Waterside, Grand Cape Mount County, after crossing from Jendema in Sierra Leone’s Pujehun District.
Security officials said the arrest followed an intelligence tip. Lumeh, who was travelling by motorbike with a green backpack, had already passed three checkpoints before being stopped at a fourth.
Upon search, officers discovered about 150 strips, equivalent to over 1,500 tablets of 225mg Tapentadol.
Tapentadol is a synthetic opioid painkiller in the same family as Tramadol, locally known in Sierra Leone and Liberia as “Tramol” or “Tap Tap”, which has been widely abused by youth as a recreational drug. In both countries, high doses above 100mg are classified as controlled substances.
According to investigators, Lumeh was handed over to the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) for questioning. Sources told Liberian media he admitted to bringing the tablets into Liberia and pleaded for leniency.
Security officials further alleged that Lumeh operates three pharmaceutical outlets in Jendema and Sulaiman town, and is suspected of involvement in previous cross-border trafficking.
Authorities valued the seized drugs at LD392,500 – about US$2,180.55 or over NLe 50,000.
Lumeh remains in custody at the Liberia National Police facility in Bo-Waterside pending laboratory testing and confirmation by the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) to determine the exact identity and legal status of the tablets.
His arrest comes amid growing concern over porous borders along the Mano River Union. The Bo-Waterside-Jendema crossing is one of the busiest between Sierra Leone and Liberia, with joint security operations intensified in recent months to curb drug trafficking.
In Sierra Leone, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has in the past year stepped up crackdowns on Kush, Tramadol and Tapentadol, with several convictions at the border districts of Kambia and Pujehun.
No formal statement has yet been issued by Sierra Leonean authorities on the case.
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