By William Selmah wselmah@gmail.com
Liberia is today said to be facing a serious problem with narcotic drugs and substance abuse fueled by rising drug trade, which is having a serious toll on the post-war country’s youthful population.
Back in June 2009, DEA undertook one of its biggest antinarcotics crackdown operations, when it destroyed illicit drugs worth L$24 million. In the past week alone, reports from just two counties—Nimba and Grand Bassa said many kilograms of narcotic drugs including marijuana were seized by the drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
This country is seeing the sale of narcotic drugs (cocaine, heroin, “Italian White”, etc. at a rate never experienced before since this West African state’s independence 170 years ago.
There is also a corresponding consumption of the substances and their effects on those using them.
Health experts have established a link between drug abuse and mental illnesses, which affect a sizable portion of Liberia’s youngsters.
Rampant drug abuse became a common place in Liberia at the peak of the civil crisis with heads of fighting groups using them to intoxicate their foot soldiers before going to face the enemy. They were regularly made available and rationed.
For whatever reason, the harmful, but lucrative trade is dominated by aliens from mainly the West African sub region.
It is almost an open business, because it is public knowledge that banned substances are sold in the limelight at conspicuous locations even frequented by some law enforcement agents.
This has led many appealing for the DEA to be strengthened in order to be able to curb the trade.
The DEA itself seems to have restricted its own powers to fighting largely marijuana sellers and users, leaving questions as to why cocaine and heroin users are rarely apprehended.
One strategy DEA authorities have in recent years adopted is to conduct training of its agents in handling drug addicts and thematic counselling of them.
The hopes of worried residents and citizens now hinge on central government intervening to nip the drug trade in the bud at the earliest and save future leaders of the country from destruction.
Fears are that if not, the crisis could further worsen and hatch more powerful drug lords that could be likened to the notorious El Chapo of Mexico or Pablo Escoba of Colombia, who built their own armies that openly confront law enforcement officers in gun battles.
The relevant authorities must pay heed and act because every drug dealer is a potential drug lord.