Buchanan, Grand Bassa County – The Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) operation dragnet is swiftly cleaning the port city of Buchanan of drug users and dealers though timely prosecution and rehabilitation of these alleged criminals and drug abusers are glaring challenges.
The arrests of 12 persons including a female last Friday, April 22 is a step forward after four other arrests including a Nigerian who was arrested in February this year with huge quantity of heroin while the other three (Liberians) were also arrested with bags of marijuana.
Delays in hearing these drug cases by the magisterial court in Buchanan is a concern as over 20 cases remain on the court’s docket since 2009.
The court has also since February this year prolonged the trial of three accused drug traffickers: Mickey Gray, Sunnyboy Johnson and Ghanaian Edward Jyesi – all arrested in possession of huge quantity of drugs including heroin.
Prolonged trail is reportedly an impediment to the DEA’s efforts to combat drug abusing and peddling as mandated by the country’s new drug law.
Speaking on the recent arrest, the Grand Bassa County DEA Commander, Major Joseph Taggedine disclosed that four of the 12 suspects are notorious drug peddlers.
He named them as Alieu Jalloh, Mitchell Sherman, Boakai Fahnbulleh and Ralph Anderson, adding that they were arrested with search and seizure warrant while others were apprehended after hot pursuit within the Wako Camp, Atlantic Street, Water and Sewer and New Buchanan communities.
He added that preliminary investigation is ongoing while also stressing that the Operation Dragnet will continue and if logistical support for the DEA improves it will extend to other populated rural towns in the county.
Major Taggedine warned the public that dealers of these barred-substances are remaking them by using varieties of Liberian food including kiss-meat and dried fish dust, and he warned that non-drug users may be affected if they consumed these food items that are easily sold in the communities.
“If you don’t know or if you are innocent to it and decide to take that kiss meat (and eat it), definitely you will go off,” the Grand Bassa DEA boss told reporters. “It is looking common but it has a lot of content in it.”
Despite the frantic efforts by the DEA to raid the port city of drugs and its addicts, public perception in the county about the increase of drug addicts is against the agency. Some alleged that although drug abusers or dealers are frequently arrested, they are too easily released.
But the head of the DEA in the county argues that those in the public making these assertions don’t understand the mandate of the DEA. “
If I arrest John Brown and send John Brown to the court and the court having to release him I don’t have the authority to arrest him because the court has released him then I will be disrespecting the court because the court cannot release somebody then I re-arrest them,” he explained.
Liberia’s Drug Law Debate
Taggedine’s justification supports a national debate focusing on the country’s readiness to combat drug trafficking as the recent upsurge of drug addiction remains troubling for a country with a history of violence created by the civil crisis.
In 2014, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf approved the anti-drug law, but there were delays in printing it into handbills by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nevertheless, legal experts say the ‘Controlled Drugs and Substances Act’ should be full swing since it’s been signed by the Chief Executive. Labelled as a non-billable crime, the law speaks of drug traffickers and hard-core drug users risk being punished for possession.
The DEA is mandated to regulate policy that will ensure the effectiveness of this new drug law but it faces constraints including limited man power in urban slums, very rural areas including artisanal mining sites – otherwise known as gold mine.
In 2015 DEA Director, Anthony K. Souh lamented that the lack of a proper legal framework which includes a fast-track court and professionalized prosecutorial team to deal with drug cases and inadequate logistical support is posing difficulties to the agency’s work.
He said the DEA needs the required logistics and trained manpower if it is to meet public expectations in terms of limiting the power of those engaged in the illicit drug trade against the country’s national security, health and economic interest of the country.
No Rehab Center, a Problem
In Buchanan, efforts are impaired due to the lack of a rehabilitation center for convicts who served time at the Buchanan Central Prison. Communities are weary by the presence of these drug addicts and the continuous sale of drug and are constrained to blame the DEA while others bewailed the ineffectiveness of the drug law.
But Major Taggedine argues that the lack of a rehabilitation Center for those who have served time makes the campaign against drug trafficking derisive since it provides limited options for individuals who should be reintegrated after their prison sentence.
“This is why I continue to advocate for this rehabilitation center – a counselling session to be in the DEA and the Ministry of Justice,” he suggested.
“Because a lot of guys that we arrest go through their sentence and get back to the community and carry out the same act,” he added.
Suspects Denied
Meanwhile, several of those arrested denied the charges. One of the suspects only identify as Alberts said he’s confident he will be released by the court. “ I know I will be release because I was not caught with anything or smoking anything,” the 24 years old who claimed to be an artisanal fisher man told reporters from behind Police cell.
Another 17 year-old boy also amongst the detainees cried that he was loitering when the DEA ransacked the ghetto and raided them while a female, Hannah David arrested for allegedly dealing heroin admitted that her lover is a drug dealer.
“The man hardly leaves the drug with me to sell but because he and I loving that’s why they arrest me,” she explained. “Because my parents don’t have money to send me to school and I drop from school that’s why I’m just forced to be with the man.”
Alpha Daffae Senkpeni, [email protected]