MR. INSPECTOR GENERAL, ENOUGH–Fight traffickers, not independent journalism

This newspaper believes the Government of Liberia owes the Liberian people one thing above every other in this historic cocaine investigation: unwavering focus. When nearly four thousand plates of suspected cocaine, valued at hundreds of millions of United States dollars, are intercepted on Liberian soil, the national conversation should revolve around one question only: Who brought this poison into our country, who protected it, who financed it, and who must answer before the law? That is the fight the people expect. That is the fight the Government promised. Everything else is a distraction.

Mr. Inspector General, your public declaration that drug trafficking organizations have “infused monies into the media” was not an ordinary remark. It was made from an official government platform before senior security officials and carried the weight of the Republic. Such a statement immediately casts suspicion over every journalist, every newspaper, every radio station, and every media institution in Liberia. If you possess evidence, present it without delay. If you do not, then the statement was reckless, unnecessary, and harmful to both the investigation and the nation.

No serious investigation is strengthened by broad accusations unsupported by publicly disclosed facts. Criminal investigations are built on evidence, not insinuation. Investigators gather proof, identify suspects, make arrests, prosecute offenders, and secure convictions. They do not throw a blanket over an entire profession and expect public confidence to grow. Journalism is not above the law, but neither should journalism become an easy target whenever uncomfortable questions begin to expose weaknesses in an investigation.

The unfortunate reality is that your remarks have shifted national attention away from the cartel itself. Instead of discussing the financiers, the logistics, the international connections, and the network that allegedly transported this enormous quantity of narcotics into Liberia, the country is now debating whether journalists have been bought. That is not where this conversation belongs. Every hour spent defending or attacking the media is an hour stolen from pursuing those who stand accused of poisoning our country with drugs.

EVEN MORE TROUBLING is that the investigation itself already carries questions that deserve clear and transparent answers. Reports surrounding the alleged acceptance of a US$10,000 bribe by police officers have generated widespread public concern. Those reports cannot simply disappear beneath louder accusations directed elsewhere. Every allegation involving law enforcement officers, regardless of rank, deserves an impartial investigation. Public confidence demands that no one be shielded and no one be prematurely condemned. The law must apply equally to every citizen and every public official.

The Liberian people have watched too many major investigations lose momentum because attention drifted from the principal actors to secondary controversies. We cannot afford another episode where headlines overshadow evidence and rhetoric replaces accountability. This cocaine case is too serious. It touches national security, Liberia’s international reputation, investor confidence, and the safety of future generations. History will not remember who won the daily press conference. It will remember whether the cartel was dismantled and whether justice reached every participant.

We therefore challenge the Government to return its full attention to the work before it. Produce the evidence against any journalist if such evidence truly exists. Name the individuals. File the charges. Let the courts decide. But if no such evidence exists, stop painting Liberia’s independent media with one broad brush. The free press has exposed corruption, protected democracy, and held governments of every political persuasion accountable. That constitutional responsibility should not become collateral damage in a narcotics investigation.

Finally, let this be understood without ambiguity. The Liberian media stands with the fight against drug trafficking. We want every trafficker prosecuted, every corrupt official exposed, every compromised institution cleansed, and every dollar of criminal proceeds traced wherever the evidence leads. But we will never accept a situation in which journalists become convenient scapegoats while the nation waits for answers about the real architects of this criminal enterprise. The Republic deserves discipline from its investigators, restraint from its officials, and truth from everyone. Liberia’s greatest enemy today is not an independent press. It is the cartel. Keep the spotlight where it belongs.