Bangladesh, July 2 -- Liberian authorities have pledged that arrests are imminent in the investigation into a massive cocaine seizure at the countrys main international airport, as mounting public criticism over the pace of the probe forced senior security officials to defend their handling of the case before the nations Senate.

During a special public hearing on July 1, Inspector General of the Liberia National Police Gregory Coleman assured lawmakers that investigators had made significant progress and would soon move against suspects connected to the alleged drug trafficking operation.

“We will make arrests. We have elevated people from persons of interest to suspects and we will make arrests in the coming days,” Coleman ...