IPNEWS: Sheikh Bassirou Kante (often phonetically searched as “shilk konte” or known by his alias “Royal Gold”) is a prominent Liberian businessman and philanthropist who was convicted in a multimillion-dollar international fraud scheme in the United States.
Kante was arrested by federal U.S. authorities on April 20, 2022, at his home in Maryland. He was apprehended just hours before he was scheduled to board a one-way flight from Washington Dulles International Airport to the United Arab Emirates.
He was indicted for conspiracy to commit money laundering and engaging in monetary transactions derived from unlawful activity.
The FBI linked Kante to a massive Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme that defrauded victims and companies out of more than $7 million. The scam involved hacking legitimate corporate email accounts and manipulating them to redirect massive wire transfers into accounts he controlled.
When federal agents raided Kante’s Maryland residence, they discovered a Liberian diplomatic passport, despite the fact that Kante was not an accredited diplomat.
The discovery sparked a massive political scandal in Liberia, leading President George Weah to temporarily suspend the issuance of all diplomatic passports pending a full investigation into how high-ranking officials were distributing them illegally. The passport allegedly listed him under false government titles and hinted at deep, corrupt ties with elite Liberian politicians.
In early 2023, Kante reached a plea bargain agreement with U.S. prosecutors. In exchange for a significantly reduced sentence, he agreed to become a government informant. He reportedly provided U.S. authorities with detailed information regarding his corporate assets (such as Royal Gold Trading Inc.) and exposed the names of the Liberian government officials who had illicitly facilitated his diplomatic passport and assisted in his illegal activities.
Following his conviction, Kante was placed on supervised release. However, in January 2025, the U.S. Marshals Service designated him as one of Maryland’s Most Wanted after he violated the terms of his supervised release and became a fugitive.
Kante’s criminal network and past political connections have resurfaced heavily in Liberian politics. High-profile political figures—including former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor—have faced intense legal scrutiny and independent charges regarding transnational organized crime networks, keeping Kante’s history of political manipulation and financial fraud at the center of ongoing anti-corruption investigations.
The connection stems from a massive narcotics case involving the seizure of 237.6 kilograms of cocaine—valued at US$19.2 million—at the Roberts International Airport (RIA) in Monrovia.
In early August 2026, Liberian authorities issued a writ of arrest implicating Sheikh Bassirou Kante, alongside international associates Taras Zadereiko and Mihovil Vrovac. The writ alleges they actively collaborated with and recruited former VP Jewel Howard-Taylor to authorize and shield their drug shipments moving through the country.
While the drug bust is a recent development, prosecutors are utilizing Kante’s 2022 diplomatic passport scandal as legal and political context. Kante, a well-known businessman and socialite, was previously exposed for illicitly holding a Liberian diplomatic passport despite having no official diplomatic status, highlighting his deep, unchecked access to high-ranking Liberian officials.
Kante was previously arrested by U.S. federal authorities in 2022 and convicted in a separate multi-million dollar money laundering and Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme. Reports indicate that information and communications retrieved by international law enforcement (including the FBI) helped expose the transnational dimensions of the drug network.
The Joint National Security Investigative Task Force, alongside international law enforcement partners, has expanded its probe into senior figures within the Liberian political and logistics infrastructure. While former VP Howard-Taylor has publicly denied being aware of Kante’s personal criminal dealings, the state’s indictment ties Kante directly to the conspiracy that attempted to transform Liberia into a transit hub for organized narcotics cartels.
Sheikh Bassirou Kante’s connection to alleged drug traffickers
The government of Liberia admits it was Shiek Bassiru Kante’s business partners that he introduced to Jewel Howard-Taylor. And if those men are drug traffickers, shouldn’t Shiek be arrested for doing business with international cocaine traffickers.
In 2022, Sheikh Bassirou Kante introduced three foreign men to Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor in Dubai. He presented them as investors interested in Liberia’s cocoa industry.
Four years later, Sheikh Bassirou Kante had to remind Howard-Taylor who they were before saying they had a “gift” for her. No drugs or drug money were mentioned, and no gift was reportedly delivered to her.
There is no disclosed evidence of calls, messages, payments or meetings between Howard-Taylor and these men after Dubai. If they had remained in contact, why did Sheikh Bassirou Kante need to refresh her memory?
Sheikh Bassirou Kante knew the men. He introduced them. He spoke for them. Yet he remains free while Howard-Taylor is detained without bail.
Why is the man with the direct connection free while the woman he introduced to them as cocoa investors is in jail?
