By P. Lincoln Nyanrue Jr., elincoln1986@gmail.com
Officers of the Liberia’s Drugs Enforcement Agency assigned in Grand Gedeh County have set ablaze different types of drugs worth over L$150,000.
The drugs were burned on Friday, July 7, 2017, during the day of commemoration of the United Nations Day Against Drugs and Illicit Trafficking. This day is set aside on June 26th of every year.
Speaking to our Southeastern Correspondent during the event, Captain Romeo Wallo of the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency said as officers, they use this day in Liberia to destroy or burn drugs seized from various suspects.
Captain Wallo said drugs confiscated included marijuana, heroin and “Italian White”. He put the street value of the drugs at over L$150,000 Liberian Dollars.
Outlining challenges faced by the DEA, Col. Wallo mentioned the lack of mobility vehicles and communication, less manpower, and weak drug laws as problems that have hindered their operations.
The Grand Gedeh County DEA boss then called on the legislature to amend Liberia’s drug laws from bailable to non-bailable offense.
He said if drug laws are non-bailable, anyone caught selling or consuming illicit drugs would face prison sentences, which would serve as a deterrent to other users. Wallo stated that the drugs are damaging the youthful populace of Liberia.
In Liberia these days, people who are taking in drugs predominantly are young people who are considered criminals due to their appearances and branded names like “Zokos” for males and “Zogees” for females. Other names are “labaneah”, “Kamidan”, etc.
Col. Wallo urged the central government to design rehabilitation programs for those traumatized Liberians so as to transform them to impact the society.
He also advised community dwellers to report drug dealers to the security apparatus in order to curtail the smuggling of drugs into Liberia.
