Africa-Press – Liberia. <\/strong><\/span>Drug abuse and illicit trafficking continue to remain a menace in Liberia, with the government failing to win a recent legal proceeding that saw a US$100 million case of cocaine allegedly smuggled into Liberia favoring four defendants.This setback in the fight against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking comes just a few weeks after the world celebrated International Drugs Day on Monday, June 26.<\/p>\nThe International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, or World Drug Day, is marked on June 26 every year to strengthen action and cooperation in tackling drug abuse.<\/p>\n
However, former Vice President and Political Leader of the Opposition Unity Party, Joseph Nyumah Boakai, is apprehensive about the surge in drug abuse and illicit trafficking of narcotic substances into Liberia, which he believes has branded the country a \u201cNarco State.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are fast gaining notoriety as a transshipment country for illicit narcotics, with the country shamefully appearing now as a \u2018narco-state\u2019,\u201d Amb. Boakai stressed.<\/p>\n
In a press statement on Monday, June 26, in observance of the International Day against Drugs, Boakai panicked that Liberia stands to face a possible future of increased crime rates, unemployment, increased sexual and gender-based violence, HIV\/AIDS, teenage pregnancy, and tuberculosis, among others, if strong measures are not put in place to curb illicit drug usage and trafficking.<\/p>\n
He asserted that the country\u2019s weak law enforcement capacity, porous borders, and proximity to major drug transit routes are contributing factors to trafficking to and through Liberia.<\/p>\n
Boakai cited the recent seizure of US$100 million worth of drugs, the trial saga that ensued, and the mysterious and unexplained departure from the country of all those who stood trial and were \u201cacquitted\u201d as an indication of the extent to which he believes Liberia has been rapidly exposed in the last few years to the narco trade, and the vulnerability of Liberian society to the impact of such large-scale assault by international criminal enterprises.<\/p>\n
He said that this occurrence significantly reveals the \u201cfailure of national leadership, a weak and criminal justice system, and crucially raises suspicion\u201d about the probable complicity of some higher-ups in the drug affair.<\/p>\n
He added that it is now clearly obvious that the Weah Administration is \u201cincapable, unwilling, complicit, and indifferent\u201d to this crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t see it as most Liberians see it \u2013 A National Emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is why a change in national leadership is and should be now.<\/p>\n
We must see our votes as an opportunity to reverse this dangerous trend by saving our children and securing their future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, he surmises that this \u201cgrave situation\u201d can be addressed by providing responsible leadership that would institute appropriate measures to bring hope to the young victims of the epidemic, relief to hurting families, and assurances, to frankly, a shocked society.<\/p>\n
He said this will include declaring it not just an \u2019emergency\u2019 but a \u201cnational security crisis\u201d that must be arrested through a system-wide approach.<\/p>\n
The Unity Party Political Leader understands that doing so will require looking at the crisis and determining the extent to which the failure of the provision of public goods, social service delivery, weaknesses in the criminal justice system, and inadequacies of the public health system have all conspired to contribute to what may yet be the biggest threat to the society after the civil war.<\/p>\n
source:frontpageafricaonline<\/b><\/p>\n
For More News And Analysis About Liberia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Willie N. Tokpah Africa-Press – Liberia. Drug abuse and illicit trafficking continue to remain a menace in Liberia, with the government failing to win a recent legal proceeding that saw a US$100 million case of cocaine allegedly smuggled into Liberia favoring four defendants.This setback in the fight against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking comes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":39158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[233,237,234],"class_list":["post-39160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-liberia","tag-liberia"],"yoast_head":"\n
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