Article: Will the raiding of ghettos put an end to Liberia’s illicit drugs problem?

By: Emmanuel Sanor Mars

Col. Abraham Kromah, the new DEA boss of Liberia, has embarked on a robust campaign to raid ghettos and criminal drug cartels operating in Monrovia and its environs. The move is part of a much broader effort initiated by the Government of Liberia under the stewardship of His Excellency President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to curb the spread of narcotic substances in the country. It is anticipated to cover all regions of the country, with the primary goal of eradicating drug trade, including importation, distribution, and consumption, while also ensuring that recovered substance users are rehabilitated and socially reintegrated into society, among others.

Having spent barely a few days in office, Col. Kromah and his DEA team have shown a strong commitment to this cause as well as great enthusiasm, “with recent strings of successes resulting in multiple arrests and significant drug seizures,” according to The New Dawn. While the move seems applauding, the country still has a lot more to do from an institutional perspective, especially if the war against narcotic substances must be won entirely and not haphazardly.

Furthermore, as Col. Kromah and his team go on apprehending more violators of the nation’s top anti-drug law recently passed by the 54th National Legislature, which marked a significant turning point in the fight to curb the spread of illicit drugs in Liberia, it is expected that these anti-drug raids and resulting incarcerations will undoubtedly add more stress to an already overwhelmed judiciary system in the country, including overcrowded prison facilities and limited fiscal resources among others. This echoes the need for more policy interventions from the Government – if the raiding of ghettos and drug cartels should yield the intended outcome.

In view of the foregoing, this article proposes the followings:

1) Judicial reforms and the expansion of prison facilities are needed

If Liberia should win the war against narcotic drugs, judicial reforms are crucial! In this regard, there’s a need for the President to establish a fast-track court to arbitrate all suspected cases of illicit, harmful drugs. This must also go in hand with providing such a court with the needed resources (including finance, logistics, and manpower) to discharge this function expeditiously and transparently. Likewise, there’s also an urgent need for the Government to now begin to expand as well as improve prison facilities throughout the country, and this is particularly crucial if the DEA should go on arresting, incarcerating, and prosecuting more offenders of the nation’s anti illicit drugs laws as anticipated.

Without a doubt, the court system in Liberia appears to be greatly overwhelmed by the high volume of unheard cases, including newer ones, with hundreds of accused inmates yet to have their days in court, something that violates their fundamental rights. Similarly, prison facilities across the nation are said to be overcrowded by the vast and growing number of inmates, the majority of whom are pre-trial detainees who are kept in tight cells with poor sanitary conditions – another violation of the laws. Undoubtedly, this is something that doesn’t augur well for the country’s fight against illicit drugs. As such, urgent actions are needed now, as doing so would not only symbolize a great deal of commitment on the part of the Government to root out illicit drugs but also ensure speedy trials for the accused, decongest prison facilities, and spare the government from breaking the very laws that it ought to enforce and uphold.

Note: A responsible government avoids playing double standards, and that can only happen if the government commits itself to comply with the laws at all times, not sometimes.

2) Institutionalizing Medical & Psychosocial Services is needed to “rescue” substance users

Judicial reforms must go hand-in-hand with unhindered access to robust, affordable, sustainable, and long-term medical and psychosocial services, as these are crucial in terms of rescuing narcotic substance users regardless of their socioeconomic status. While the recent efforts by the joint-ministerial task force set up by H.E. President Boakai to lead the drug rehabilitation program are welcoming, however, the scope and long-term sustainability of these initiatives are of crucial concerns, especially if the war against narcotic drugs must be won permanently, and not momentarily.

Against this backdrop, the President needs to take another step further by institutionalizing the aspect of the nation’s anti-drug fight that focuses on treatment, rehabilitation, and social reintegration of recovered substance users. To this end, President Boakai needs to back up his earlier commitment to “weed out” narcotic drugs by formulating a national policy that will cover drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation. Also, as part of the measures, the President should immediately create a Department of Substance Use and Prevention at the John F. Kennedy Medical Hospital that will focus solely on substance use & prevention by providing cost-free drug prevention and treatment services to substance users and expanding access to these services nationwide.

The department, when created, should provide assessment, diagnosis, treatment, continuing care and recovery, and rehabilitation services to individuals with substance use disorders among others.

3) Expanding Drugs Awareness to Communities, High Schools, and Universities is paramount

Awareness plays a pivotal role in weeding out illicit drugs in any given society, and this is particularly crucial for Liberia, where anti-drug awareness and sensitization programs must be carried out both at the community level and at secondary, tertiary, and vocational institutions by trained and experienced professionals inclusive of the Liberian DEA, the National Police, the Ministry of Health, and other relevant actors. These activities shouldn’t just be let alone to private sector actors but must be holistic, involving an all-of-society approach.

Precisely, the purpose of school- and community-based drug awareness and prevention programs is to help prevent, or at least reduce, children’s and youths’ ingestion of narcotic substances, including alcohol, cocaine, cigarettes, etc. Through awareness, young people can be enlightened about narcotic drugs and their effects. Also, they would be discouraged from engaging in the habit, something that is extremely important if the number of young people being lured into drug abuses on day-to-day basis can be minimized. Thus, the Government must include awareness as part of its short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategy to curb illicit drug trade and consumption.

4) Robust Social Reintegration programs through Skills Training and Empowerment are needed for recovered substance users

Like the previous two, robust social reintegration via empowerment programs is necessary in the fight against narcotic drugs. Precisely, the empowerment programs should seek ways to provide quality, market-demand vocational skills and training to recovered substance users, to help them gain important skills that can be used to earn a living for themselves, their families, and loved ones outside of drug trade and crime life. Through empowerment, recovered substance users would be discouraged from returning to the same old path of substance abuse, which drives them deeper into poverty and inflicts upon them more hunger, suffering, and rejection, something that eventually lures them into committing crimes, etc. In this regard, revamping the Monrovia Vocational Training Center (MVTC) and other public TVET institutions throughout the country is something that is worth serious attention among the many policy options available for use.

5) Redeploying the idle labor of drug offenders and other convicts held in detention facilities into productive ventures is crucial for the economy

Without a doubt, implementing judicial reforms, expanding and improving prisons, creating new departments to treat and support substance users, as well as running effective empowerment programs through skills training come with massive costs. As such, this demands that the Government must seek other sustainable ways to afford the rising cost of running these initiatives, rather than relying solely on taxpayers and/or donor support. In this regard, investing in domestic rice production via publicly owned and operated rice plantations offers a viable alternative, wherein the excess of idle labor of inmates in various prison facilities around the country can be tapped into and/or redeployed into this venture to boost rice production for local consumption.

If done properly, such investment would yield a great number of benefits for the country. Firstly, it will contribute greatly to boosting domestic rice production, something that will help to keep the commodity price low and stable while also reducing our reliance on rice imports, including food insecurity. Secondly, it will contribute to revenue growth, something that is good for our economy, since the earnings from such venture would be redirected towards expanding basic social services while also funding the needed reforms and programs required to weed out narcotic drugs. And thirdly, it will allow all inmates (not just drug convicts) to work and earn some income while serving their various sentences, but with at least 30% or more of those earnings going to their victims to recompense for damages sustained by them (in the cases of rape, life-threatening injuries, etc.), or the victim’s family (in the case of death), or the country (in the case of drug-related offenses); 30% or more going towards the upkeep of the convict’s child/ children (if they have any) to ‘rescue’ the convict’s minor(s) from becoming wayward (another social problem); 20% as prison bill to discourage crime; while the remaining 20% or less can be held in a restricted saving account to be released to the inmates as a startup fund only after completion of his/her sentence following receipt of a court clearance. (Note: These percentages aren’t carved in stone.)

Importantly, the aforesaid mirrors a “win-win situation” for all; rather than overburdening taxpayers and/or donors to shoulder these costs or for the victims of crime themselves to bear them (directly or indirectly) as it has always been the case for time immemorial.

To conclude, in answering the question of whether or not raiding ghettos will end Liberia’s illicit drug problem, this is a yes-and-no situation. Yes because these raids are important steps toward arresting violators and confiscating narcotic substances, which are good for curtailing the spread of the substance. And No because, without the needed institutional reforms, programs, and supports set in place, a haphazard situation would arise even if those raids were successful in capturing and incarcerating violators. Therefore, JNB who came to power on a “rescue mission” to “rescue the nation” from drugs and other problems, MUST ACT NOW TO SAVE THE STATE!

About the Author

Emmanuel Sanor Mars is an Adjunct Lecturer at the African Methodist Episcopal University located in Monrovia, Liberia, where he teaches Public Finance, Development Planning and Administration, etc. He holds the following qualifications: MA in International Development with distinction, MSc in Applied Economics, Bachelor’s in Public Administration (magna cum laude), and BSc in Geology. He is also pursuing a PhD in Applied Economics at the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing, China. He can be reached via email at: emmanuelmars76@gmail.com; or cell #: +231888768640.