-LDEA VIOLATES HIDDEN SUSPECTS RIGHTS
AT LEAST THE LDEA SHOULD know by now that holding suspects in detention beyond the statutory period of 48 hours is a clear violation of the suspects' Human Rights.
You are hiding their identities, one thing that we assure about is, you must charge them and process them before a court of competent jurisdictional authority for prosecution.
THE UNDISCLOSED IDENTITY of those arrested and kept in custody has placed LDEA into confidence crisis with the citizens and cast dark cloud over the institution's desire to fight the issue of drugs impartially.
LDEA'S ACTION TO CONCEAL the identity of Drugs Lords or dealers is telling us that the whole batch of their Administration must be removed and be replaced because they have lost public trust and confidence.
WHILE THE LIBERIA DRUG Enforcement Agency (LDEA) is celebrating what it describes as one of the largest cocaine seizures in Liberia’s recent history, mounting public concern seems to be shifting our attention from the drugs to what many citizens see as an unusual level of secrecy surrounding the investigation.
MORE THAN A WEEK AFTER authorities intercepted 198 compressed plates of cocaine valued at approximately US$19.2 million at Roberts International Airport (RIA), the identities of six individuals arrested in connection with the case remain undisclosed, prompting questions about transparency, equal treatment under the law, and whether influential figures may be linked to the trafficking network.
ADDRESSING JOURNALISTS DURING the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing on Thursday, June 11, LDEA Officer-In-Charge and Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitzgerald T.M. Biago confirmed that six suspects are currently in the Agency’s custody. However, he insisted that investigators are intentionally withholding their identities to avoid jeopardizing the ongoing probe.
“THIS IS AN ONGOING ACTIVE INVESTIGATION. Disclosure of any information will compromise the investigation,” Biago said. “We are asking We are putting pieces of information and evidence together and will soon revert to you all accordingly.”
ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, particularly Facebook, many Liberians have questioned why suspects in this case are being shielded from public exposure when individuals accused of far less significant drug offenses were swiftly identified and publicly displayed by law enforcement authorities in the past.
SEVERAL COMMENTATORS POINTED TO PREVIOUS high-profile arrests, including that of Liberian rapper Bucky Raw and other suspects who were publicly handcuffed, photographed, and paraded shortly after their arrests. Social media critics of the LDEA argue that the apparent difference in treatment raises concerns about consistency and fairness in the administration of justice.
THE CONTROVERSY COMES AGAINST the backdrop of what the LDEA has described as a major breakthrough in the country’s anti-narcotics campaign.
ANNOUNCING THE SEIZURE ON MONDAY, June 8, the Agency revealed that the cocaine had been concealed in six cargo boxes and was allegedly being prepared for export aboard a Brussels Airlines flight. Authorities said the operation was launched following credible intelligence, leading investigators to intercept the shipment before it could leave the country.
THERE IS NO ONE ABOVE THE law. Your persistent refusal to call name has undermined your neutrality as enforcement officers. You have shamed the entire nation. You action has proven the insinuation that Liberia is a serious transit point and a hub for narcotics.
