By Peter Toby-tobypeter71@gmail.com
The office of the Chief Prosecutor at the Justice Ministry in collaboration with the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) is this Thursday expected to publicly burn one of the highest quantities of narcotic drugs to be confiscated in recent years in Liberia.
The street value of the drugs seized is put at US$618m, according to Cllr. Edwin Martin, Montserrado County Attorney.
The illicit drugs include cocaine, heroin and other hardcore substances.
In an interview with this Reporter, he said that the drugs were seized and put in their custody following the issuance of up to “150 writs of search and seizure” across the county recently.
The drugs will be burned on the Monrovia-Bomi highway on April 4, 2019, according to Cllr. Martin.
He said the writs, issued in consultation with the DEA, targeted suspected areas in Montserrado County.
Liberia is gradually gaining notoriety in the Mano River basin as one of the breeding grounds for drug trafficking, an illegal, but booming trade that keeps attracting foreigners despite its adverse effects on the country’s youthful population.
The high rate of criminal activities and mental illnesses in Monrovia and across the country, particularly involving young people, have been attributed to narcotic drug abuse.
Alluvial mining sites are among key areas noted to have provided markets for the trade of banned substances such as narcotics.
Liberian authorities have constantly been accused of doing very little to crack down on pushers and users, with some operating in open spaces that are in some cases frequented by law enforcement officers themselves.