Drug is a menace to our society and it is menacing so many of our young people, both males and females. The menacing effect of drug is felt everywhere in Liberia and it involves the various demographic groups of our country. Many of our young people have succumbed to the harmful effects of drugs.
They have developed the habits they are finding very difficult to kick away. Among the harmful drugs that are menacing our young people are marijuana, kush, tramadol, cocaine, etc. It is matter of must that we must all join the national efforts in combating the scourge of drugs in communities throughout Liberia.
It is against this background that good people have joined together against illicit drug, drug use and drug abuse, especially among our young people. While we are already struggling with the easy availability of drugs in our country, it’s quite astonishing to see that our country has become a transshipment center for drugs as well. It’s hurtful to hear the current news about drug bust at the Robert International airport that was scheduled to leave the country on board the Brussels airline.
While it may be good news that LDEA was able to track down 19 million dollar worth of drugs at our international airport, what is not ok is that up to this point, LDEA is yet to disclose the names of the suspects involved in this case. If it is true that the drugs in question were tracked down at the Robert International Airport, this suggests that the drugs might have entered our country from another country.
Plenty hands must be involved in this transshipment from another countries before they were tracked down at our airport by the LDEA. As of now, what we are hearing from the LDEA are all excuses. To say that “premature disclosure will compromise the ongoing efforts to dismantle the network behind the trafficking” is nothing but excuse.
Despite public outcry for full disclosure of the names of individuals involved in bringing this 19 million dollar drugs in the country and attempting to ship it to another country through the Robert International Airport, LDEA continues to insist that calling names now will compromise its investigation.
We must not accept this poor excuse. LDEA can name the suspects now while investigation continues and more names can be called later while the investigation continues. What’s keeping the agency from naming names is very baffling.
Could it be that there are some big hands behind this drug transshipment and by disclosing names will be bad for the government? I think this should be a very shining moment for the agency to prove that its job is transparent and effective in curbing drug trafficking. The agency will gain more credibility if it reveals the names available for now while it continues its investigations.
To withhold information at this time is simply an indication that it is protecting some big people in the country whose hands are in this illicit drug transshipment. Clearly, the 237.6 kilograms of cocaine didn’t walk to come into Liberia. It was planned and executed by men and women who want to profit from the menace drugs are causing in our country and other countries in the world. How heartless it must be for these people to want to profit from something that is a clear ménage to society, especially our youthful population?
There are many in the current government who were vocal during the Weah administration. They accused the government at that time for the easy availability of drugs in the country. Those people should be more transparent and vocal today. They should join the efforts in forcing LDEA to come out with full disclosure of names. Delaying the full disclosure any further does not lend any credibility to the agency and the work it is doing. There should be no sacred cow here. No one should be above the law no matter his or her position in the government.
Right now, the agency’s refusal to disclose names is creating more rooms for suspicion and accusation of connivance of individuals in high places. If the suspects were just ordinary people, LDEA would not hesitate to name names from day one. Any further delay in naming the suspects is clearly an indication that the agency is protecting some names due to their positions in the country.
