Editorial: Losing the war on drugs

There seems to be a strong indication that Liberia is being overwhelmed by the war on drugs, given latest revelation by the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) that substances are being smuggled out of the country.

The disclosure presupposes that this country is gradually but steadily becoming a significant transit point for various dangerous substances, which is very sad and unfortunate.

Thank God for the latest catch, but we think that the report by the Officer-In-Charge of the LDEA, Christopher Peters, that Cocaine approximately worth One Million United States being smuggled out of Liberia was arrested at Roberts International Airport (RIA) is nothing to write home about.

Instead, the government should tighten its borders to prevent drugs from entering the country. How come then that this huge consignment of Cocaine was being smuggled out? We may never know the actual quantity of dangerous substances that are currently being stored in Liberia and which part of the country they are in.

It sounds very confusing and highly disappointing, especially so after President Joseph Nyuma Boakai declared drug abuse in Liberia a national health emergency and rallied officials to go for drug tests, with himself taking the lead.

“With the assistance of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNDOC) Liberia, the LDEA tested the seized substance, and the result confirmed that the substance is a High-Grade Cocaine, which weighed 16.65kilograms with a street value of US$915,750.00 or Liberian Dollar equivalent of 175,824.00 Million. No suspect has been arrested, as the suitcase, although identified within one of the RIA parking lots, was unaccompanied. Investigations into identifying the suspects regarding this seizure continue,” Acting Director Peters says.

He further disclosed that seizure of Cocaine valued US$915,750.00 brings to total Three million four-hundred twenty-eight-thousands, eight-hundred and forty-eight United States Dollars, sixty-five cents (US$3,428,848.65) worth of drugs seized by the Agency in his first hundred days in office. This is just for the period June to August 2024.

You can see whether we are making progress or losing the fight against drugs. For a country of 43,000 square miles and less than 6 million population to be saturated with such a huge quantity of drugs is worrisome.

The frequency of drugs being arrested at the Airport right before the nose of the government speaks volumes, least to talk of porous borders across the country that both the LDEA and the Liberian Immigration Service have clearly stated they lack the capacity to manage. The war on drugs is nothing but lip service because the security agencies don’t have the muscles to withstand or face the cartel.

The cartel succeeded in dismembering the LDEA when suspended director Abraham Kromah and his two deputies could not work together, busy tearing one another apart in public dealers and smugglers have a field day in importing more drugs that they now use Liberia not only as a transit, but a major distribution.