Established in 1998, the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA) is the government lead agency charged with intercepting illicit traffickers in narcotic drugs, and psychotropic substances, and drug money launderers including drug runs conducted by organized national as well as transnational criminal gangs. Furthermore, the agency provides updates on the number and values of interceptions made as regarding illicit traffickers in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances drug –money launderers including the number of arrests, searches, seizures, applications for freezing of assets relating to drug traffickers and drug-money launderers.
The Agency over sensitive role is to implement measures to protect the territorial borders of Liberia from the importation and exportation of drugs and controlled substances. The LDEA, which is “responsible for the efficient and effective law enforcement of all the provisions on any controlled drugs and substances,” is also the Secretariat and implementing arm of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Board. In principle, the Board’s functions are broader than law enforcement as it is mandated to “formulate, develop and establish comprehensive; integrated, unified and balanced national drug use prevention and control strategy.” As Secretariat, the LDEA is likely to press the Board to focus on enforcement and punitive approaches rather than public health.
As regard other key functions and the raison d’etre for its existence, the LDEA is a key member of the national security council of the country as well as the Financial Crime Working Group (FCWG). Relative leadership, the DEA is headed by a Director and two deputy directors for Administration and Operations respectively, are nominated and subsequently appointed by the president.
To-date, the drug situation in our dear country has created multiple of dreading challenges cum unwanted state of affairs. Among these challenges, one that is very serious is that of country youthful generation. There are segment of the country’s youthful population that have been negatively impacted due to drug addiction. These youths, often refer to as “Zogoes” have become so used to the various kinds of dangerous substances including cocaine, opium, Kush, and heroin just to name a few. In addition, there is the problem of those national and transnational criminal gangs who are the major suppliers; but somehow have to continue in this damning and unacceptable act of destroying our youths, creating more fertile ground for increase crime and a harrowing state of lawlessness.
In fact, according to a 2023 Global Action for Sustainable Development GASD Liberia report with respect to situation analysis of drug abuse in Liberia, “The report showcased that the lack of sustainable drug prevention programmes in Liberia has contributed to the increased rate of drug abuse over the years. It also concludes that Liberia is losing a generation to drug misuse and that, if practical actions (including policy implementation and donor-driven programmes) are not taken, a more challenging situation will be inherited, including high criminal activities, unemployment, increase SGBV, HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy, TB, etc. The report shares points of advice and activities to be included to improve the situation, including making drug treatment services an integral part of the process, robust advocacy, support the LDEA”, among others.
Even following 2023 Presidential and general elections including the promise made by the president Boakai to declare the drug menace a national emergency-which he did, not much has happened with respect to nation’s war on drug. From the onset of this regime, there was high hope that the government was indeed prepared to take on the crisis following the appointment of what appeared to have been a cracked team of top professionals and so many Liberians became highly enthusiastic that within a short space of time, the national emergency on drug could have made inroads but sadly, this was not to be; due to internal conflict between and among the agency’s three senior officials.
It can be recalled that on June 3, 2024 fist fight erupted at the headquarters of DEA and led to the disruption of normal working activities. President Boakai “the acts of disorder and chaos that took place at the headquarters of the LDEA were unacceptable. Such act, threatens public peace and undermine Government’s fight against illicit drugs.”
Thus on June 04 this year, the President suspended with immediate effect the Director General and his two deputies without pay for exhibiting attitude incompatible with their roles. President Boakai at the same time also ordered investigation to into what led to the DEA altercation prior to taking reprimanded action.
Fast forward to present, the President has formally relieved the three DEA officials and appointed a new DG for the entity. While we like to hail the president for this latest move in addressing the DEA leadership fracas, it is our considered opinion that the declared national emergency on war requires that matters concerning the DEA are addressed with seriousness and urgency.
Therefore, we would like to urge the Office of the president to consider the swift nomination cum appointment of two vacant deputy positions so that together with the just nominated DG, this new management team can quickly pick up the baton from where dismissed senior management left-off.
Accordingly, the Rural Reporters News Network is calling on government to further strengthen the fight against drugs through the following measures:
- Immediately undertake the establishment of rehabilitation and reintegration programs with the best professionals aimed at providing some of the best clinical care for those who have become addicted and dependent on these chemical substances;
- Put in place a public health program focused on information, education, and research in combating drug and substance abuse. This program should target schools and communities to prevent and protect young people from falling prey to drug use. This way, the system is able to capacitate those mainly targeted by drug dealers to develop resiliency and resist this menace from having a stranglehold on the youth;
- Strengthen law enforcement to deal with the source of the drug problem in the country. These include national and transnational criminal groupings and all those that facilitate the drugs trade both at our borders and inside our country. The goal is to arrest, charge and prosecute all drug- associated persons who make the drugs, ship them to our shores, and pass them unto others who sell them locally to our children – the criminals who operate along the supply chain of the trade.
- Revisit our laws, provide training, and adequate resources to the Drug Enforcement Agency, Liberia National Police and the Liberia Immigration Services; especially border patrol to curtail the prevalence of the drug problem in the country; and
- Finally provide various empowerment opportunities for rehabilitated persons to make positive re-entry society.
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has officially nominated a new Director General for the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency. This latest action by the President, effectively bring to a close the longstanding leadership crisis that had engulfed the agency since June when then Director General Abe Kromah and his immediate deputies of both Messrs. Hassan Fadiga and Gbawou Kowou were suspended without salary pending investigation.
Hence, the Rural Reporter News Network strongly that the war on drug would be back on course provided the supra recommended actions are not only taken into consideration but prioritized amid other competing national priorities.
Less we forget, the battle to rid this country off drugs in earnest just started and we promise to keep our eyes on the progression of this fight till it is won .
-The end-
