MONROVIA – If news coming out of the formerly moribund Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) is not speaking to the usual first-impression pedigree and exuberance of yet another team of administration, then it is safe to say that the country’s hopeless lamentations against scourge of psychopathic and syntactic substances have now found an anchor upon which to depend. In the last few weeks alone of the incumbency of an interim team, serial discovery of huge consignments of drugs has taken place, and national and cross-national barons canned. As The Analyst reports, the LDEA this week arrested drugs worth L$27 million, and two foreign nationals, allegedly linchpins of drug trade, have fallen to the Agency’s fiercely raging dragnet.
Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency acting administration including Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Fitzgerald T.M. Biago and his two deputies, Ernest Tarpeh and ACP Patrick Kormazu, has seemingly brought new dynamism to the agency which was once a subject of public scorn for its failing to take on notorious, and the ever potent drug cartel plaguing the nation. A day hardly passes by since their appointment by President Joseph Boakai without news of the acting LDEA team disrupting ghettos, arresting drug pushers and discovering stockpiles of narcotics.
This week, the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency broke another fresh news about arrest and seizures, this time involving notorious individuals long been elusive to the radar and dragnet of the LDEA.
During a well-attended press conference September 18, OIC Fitzgerald T.M. Biago announced that following “a carefully coordinated intelligence”, the LDEA confiscated 1,929 kilograms of compressed marijuana in District Number 17, Brewerville City, Montserrado County.
This seized drugs was estimated at street value of L$27,850,760 or USD 146,604.
This operation marked a major victory in the LDEA’s fight against drug trafficking and a clear message to all who engage in this illegal trade, the OIC averred, noting further that Liberia will not be a safe haven for drug traffickers.
The LDEA OIC confirmed the arrest of two suspects during the operation—Umar Mohammed, 38 years old, a Nigerian national commonly known as Degote, a drug trafficker within the West Africa Subregion, and Abdullah Kamara, 18 years old, and a Sierra Leonean national.
Both suspects are currently in LDEA custody and undergoing a thorough investigation, OIC Fitzgerald T.M. Biago told reporters. Upon conclusion, he said, the culprit would be appropriately charged and forwarded to court for prosecution in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Liberia.
He revealed that across Liberia, the LDEA continues to make strategic arrests and confiscations as part of our ongoing nationwide operations.
“We are intensifying our collaboration with communities, civil society organizations, and international partners to root out drug networks and dismantle their operations at every level,” the LDEA acting chief said, adding that since their appointment, “we have committed ourselves to redefining the operational scope of the Agency. This includes a comprehensive review of internal protocols and procedures to ensure the LDEA becomes more professional, transparent, and accountable”.
Continuing, OIC Fitzgerald said as part of its reform efforts, the administration has withdrawn all LDEA personnel assigned to the Roberts International Airport due to concerns of misconduct.
“Out of eight officers recalled, two are currently under investigation for underreporting the quantity of narcotics confiscated during a recent airport seizure,” he said vowing that the “LDEA will not tolerate any acts of corruption, negligence, or actions that undermine the integrity of this agency”.
As he had previously announced, the LDEA acting leader said his team would continue to implement a mandatory drug testing policy for all LDEA officers, and he reported that the testing process for LDEA headquarters and Bomi County has been completed.
“However, it is with disappointment that we inform the public that six officers assigned to Bomi County tested positive for illicit drug abuse,” the OIC further reported.
He named the officers as Larwou Yekeh, C. Tony Granett, Nyumah Millimono, Lawrence J. Fejue, Milton Berh, all volunteers, and Roosevelt T. Kollie, specimen #M-43SEC-3, who is an employee of LDEA.
According to him the volunteer officers have been discharged from all activities of LDEA, and that Roosevelt T. Kollie is being suspended indefinitely with immediate effect, and turned over to the LDEA’s Professional Standards Division for investigation.
“This is just the beginning. We are committed to purging the agency of any elements that compromise our credibility and mission,” OIC Fitzgerald said.
He vowed: “To the Liberian people; we want you to know that your safety and the future of our youth remain our highest priority. The LDEA stands firm and unwavering in its commitment to restore dignity to this institution and to deliver results that Liberians can trust.”
He thanked international and local partners, community members, and the media for their continued support, stating that, “Together, we will dismantle the networks that threaten the very fabric of our society.”