PHOTO: The suspected drug dealer and illicit substance
By King Brown, sarwahking@gmail.com
Grand Bassa County Correspondent
BUCHANAN, Liberia – The Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA) detachment in Grand Bassa County has confiscated at least 100 kilograms of Heroin from an alleged drug dealer.
Heroin is said to be a highly addictive analgesic drug derived from morphine, often used illicitly as a narcotic producing euphoria.
The LDEA’s raid took place in Big Joe Town Community, outside the port city of Buchanan, 92 miles from Monrovia.
George Johnson, LDEA Commander in this county disclosed to www.newspublictrist.com on Monday that the street valued of the heroin seized worth over eighty-six (86000) thousand Liberian Dollars. The current exchange rate between the Liberian dollar and United States dollar is 170/171 LD to one USD.
According to the County DEA commander, a 39-year-old motorist identified as Otis Chea was arrested with several narcotic drugs, while en route to nearby Rivercess County.
The Grand Bassa LDEA boss revealed that the alleged suspect was arrested through a vigorous enforcement vehicle search while heading towards his destination.
According to him, the suspect is currently being detained at the police depot on Robert Street in Buchanan, and he is expected to be charged and forwarded to court this week for prosecution.
“Fortunate yesterday, a suspect name Otis Chea was arrested on a motorbike and in his possession, we discovered a ten tube of heroin valued about $500USD and comparable to 86-thousand LRD. He was arrested by our LDEA officers here and will be transferred to the circuit court shortly. Apart from this guy, we have made several arrests in the county,” LDEA Commander Johnson explained.
Suspect disclaims ownership of drugs
However, the suspect told Investigators that the drugs seized by the LDEA is not for him thought he admitted of being arrested with the narcotic substance.
Mr. Otis Chea said he was paid by another person whose name he did not disclose to carry the bag in which the drug was discovered to Rivercess County adding he did not know whether illicit drug was in it.
Suspect Chea has promised to cooperate with the LDEA officers to identify the owner of the bag in Rivercess County and elsewhere if the need arises.
“A fellow gave me this bag to carry it to his wife in Rivercess County and because of Covid-19 restriction, three persons cannot ride on a bike and so, he decided to ride on different bike and told me that he was coming behind us but then when we reached to the police checkpoint, I was told to open bags for inspection and I told the officers that I never had a bag on the bike belonging to me which prompted the officers to forcibly opened all the bags and found in one of them the narcotic drugs. My people this drug is not for me. This identical narcotic substance I am not the owner but only picked it up to take it to Rivercess County,” the detained suspected narcotic drug dealer said.
LDEA vows to intensify fight against illicit drug trafficking & use
Meanwhile, the LDEA Grand Bassa County Commander has said that the fight against illicit drugs in the County has intensified, as he called on the national government for adequate budget support to beef-up its operation, in order to crack down drugs traffickers and users across the county.
Commander Johnson also wants citizens to corporate with the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency to provide information in order to have a drugs free society.
The local commander of the LDEA added that detachment is working out means to discourage young people who are involved with the sales and taking in of narcotic substances by visiting the ghettoes.
According to him, the involvement of majority of the young people in drugs dealing in the country and as a whole is worrisome.
Since he took up assignment in Grand Bassa County, the LDEA official said he has observed that an increasing number of young people are damaging their future by taking in harmful substances.
He told this news outlet in Buchanan that every ghetto they have raided, young people are in the majority, something he described as disappointing.
Commander Johnson has vowed that he and his men will work tirelessly to ensure that the young people leave drugs dealing in order for them to have a brighter future to build Liberia.