– Sen. Konneh Blasts “Political Interference” in Liberia’s Drug Fight
GBARPOLU COUNTY – Senator Amara Konneh has issued a stark warning, declaring that the ongoing turmoil at the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) is rendering President Joseph Boakai’s administration “increasingly ineffective” in its fight against narcotics and is fueling a sense of hopelessness among citizens.
In a strongly-worded statement, the Gbarpolu County Senator argued that the repeated leadership crises at the agency are diverting attention from the real victims: young Liberians struggling with addiction who are being neglected instead of supported.
Konneh attributed the President’s decision to fire top LDEA officials twice within 18 months to two primary causes: intense political interference from competing factions within the ruling alliance and the successful infiltration of the agency by powerful drug cartels.
“The first step is to appoint qualified leadership for the Drug Enforcement Agency,” Konneh stated, underscoring that without insulating the agency from politics and corruption, the government’s efforts will continue to fail.
To illustrate the extent of the problem, the senator pointed to two recent examples of what he called the “cartel at work.” He cited the case of LDEA officers who conducted a high-profile arrest of a Liberian woman at Roberts International Airport (RIA) and livestreamed the operation on Facebook. Rather than being honored for their vigilance and transparency, akin to U.S. police using body cameras, the officers were suspended and transferred from RIA.
In a second instance, Konneh noted that the LDEA Deputy for Administration was fired after he bravely exposed the involvement of “powerful government officials” in the illicit drug trade during a live press conference hosted by the Ministry of Information.
These actions, according to Konneh, send a demoralizing message to honest officers and suggest that the agency is being deliberately weakened from within to protect influential figures involved in the drug trade.
The senator’s critique adds significant political weight to growing public concern over the government’s ability to confront the drug epidemic, which continues to devastate communities and endanger Liberia’s youth. His statement calls for urgent, apolitical leadership at the LDEA and a renewed commitment to protecting those who risk their careers to combat narcotics trafficking.
