Monrovia – As the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA) is struggling to control the high level of drugs and its sale in the country, some foreign nationals residing in Liberia, are said to be heavily involved with trafficking the illicit products in the country.
Report by Edwin Genoway, [email protected]
However, the LDEA is leaving no stone unturned in its endeavors to stamp out the flow of illegal drugs in the country.
In its latest effort to fight the menace, the LDEA has arrested five Nigerian men, who they (LDEA) said are directly involved in dealing drugs in their various communities.
The Deputy Director for Operations, Marcus Soko, told journalists Thursday, June 14, at his Fiamah Office that after getting a tip-off from members of the community, LDEA agents launched a search and seizure operations and the culprits were arrested along with drugs in their possession.
Soko named Alexander Justin, 19, of Chicken Soup Factory; Kin Elebechi, 37, of ELWA Junction; Kingsley Obianol, 42, of Jacob Town; Joseph Obi, 48, popularly known as Chairman of VOA Community; and Ike Christian, 36, of Soul Clinic as those Nigerians, who were arrested by the LDEA.
According to him, the total street value of the drugs arrested with the Nigerians is US$8,450 — a little over one million Liberia dollars.
Soko noted that the culprits were all caught with heroin.
He frowned at lawyers, who rushed to the LDEA offices to sign for drug dealers; adding: “These people are encouraging the act.”
He called on national government to do something swiftly, before Liberia becomes a safe haven for drugs dealers.
According to him, the drugs law is weak; something he stressed is also responsible for the proliferation of drugs in the communities.
He wants the five Nigerian men deported to their country; adding, “Those guys will very soon be back in the communities because the drugs law is weak, and the crime is billable.”
The Deputy LDEA boss wants the law amended and the crime be a non-billable offense.
“If the crime is not billable, those guys are charged, prosecuted and if found guilty, sentenced, the issue of drugs will not be high in the Liberia.”
The five Nigerians arrested by the LDEA refuted the allegation and accused LDEA agents of planting drugs in their various home and shops.
One of the culprits, Joseph Obi, popularly known as Chairman of VOA Community, said his home was stormed by agents of the LDEA to search.
The 48-year-old Nigerian man stated that the LDEA agents lied on him. He swore that the drugs were planted in his home by the LDEA agents, who had effected the arrest after they allegedly found the illicit products.
“I was sitting in my house when the LDEA agents came and said they wanted to search my house; I gave them the go ahead to search but I observed while they were carrying out their search, they could not find anything, then I heard the other agent shouting ‘we found it’, and I asked him, you found what, and that’s how they arrested me and put me in the car and they said they found drugs,” he explained.
All the alleged drugs dealers arrested repeatedly accused the LDEA agents of planting the alleged drugs in their homes and/or businesses.
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