By Korhai (Pen Name)
A so-called Canadian miner claiming ownership, who only identified himself as “Charlie” on Prime FM talk-show, is yet to make himself available amid heightening public demand for answers over a ‘ghost’ boat that suddenly docked behind the Monrovia Central Prison where alleged foreign drug traffickers are being held in jail for their connection to a US$336 million cocaine bust in Liberia.
The boat was discovered behind the Monrovia Central Prison at South Beach shortly after midnight on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
The vessel was reportedly found without a crew, raising questions about how it got to the area and who had been operating it.
Martin K. N. Kollie has since raised a number of questions about the boat, particularly claims that it had earlier been found on the St. Paul River and later drifted away after a rope reportedly broke.
Kollie said the explanation does not account for how the boat could have travelled from the St. Paul River area to South Beach without anyone on board.
“The boat did not just mysteriously dock behind South Beach,” Kollie quoted an informant as saying. “People came in with that boat.”
The informant, according to Kollie, also called for an independent investigation, saying the matter should not be left entirely in the hands of the Liberia National Police.
The boat’s alleged ownership has also become a source of confusion.
Kollie said a man identified as Mark Debah Doe II first posted that he was searching for a missing boat. He later said he and friends had found the vessel on the St. Paul River and tied it with a rope.
But another account later emerged identifying Jacob Tarplah Doe as the operator and Charles Spady, known as “Charlie,” as the owner.
Kollie questioned the different versions and asked why the boat was not reported missing earlier if it had been lost.
He also disputed the claim that the vessel found at South Beach was the same boat later presented by the men claiming ownership.
Kollie said photographs of the two vessels showed noticeable differences.
The man known as “Charlie” later called Prime FM and identified himself as a Canadian miner. According to Kollie, he declined to give his full name when questioned by journalists Kelvin Demey and Danesius Marteh.
“Who owns a boat but refuses to call his full name?” Kollie asked.
Kollie also questioned the telephone number used by “Charlie,” claiming that the number was registered to another person.
He has linked the boat to Riverside Resort and called for an investigation into Nigerian businessman C. Nelson Oniyama, whom he identified as the owner of the resort.
Kollie alleged that Mark Debah Doe works at the resort and said photographs showed the boat at the resort’s berth.
He further questioned how the boat could have travelled from the St. Paul River area to South Beach through the Atlantic Ocean without being seen along the way.
“The navigation route via the Atlantic Ocean from St. Paul River/St. Paul Bridge way to South Beach in Central Monrovia is not just rough but deep for a ‘ghost’ boat, without any crew, to suddenly and mysteriously dock right behind South Beach,” Kollie wrote.
The location of the boat has added to the public interest because it was found behind the Monrovia Central Prison, where suspects connected to the US$336 million cocaine case are being held.
Deputy Superintendent of the Monrovia Central Prison, Jackson Kolako, had previously raised concerns about an alleged plan to break prisoners out of the facility.
The Liberia National Police has reportedly said the boat was without a crew, but Kollie questioned why the police did not immediately provide more details about where it was found.
He has called for an independent investigation into the boat, its ownership and the people connected to it, including Oniyama, Doe, Tarplah and “Charlie.”
“The Liberian people deserve to know the whole truth,” Kollie wrote, urging authorities and civil society groups to push for an independent inquiry.
The claims made by Kollie and the informant cited in his account have not been independently verified. The documents also do not establish that the people named were involved in any criminal activity.
For now, questions remain over where the boat came from, who was operating it and how it ended up behind the Monrovia Central Prison without an identified crew.
“Where is the so-called Canadian miner ‘Charlie’ up to now?” Kollie asked.
