The Commander of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) in River Gee County Captain Victor Gaine is linked to sale of drugs to Nigerian nationals, but Captain Gaine denies.One source from the county confides in The New Dawn that each time DEA agents under the command of Captain Gaine arrest narcotic substances in the county, including marijuana, the consignment suddenly disappear from his office without trace.
The source further narrates that on June 18, 2018, Capt. Gaine took heroine worth over US$15,000 to Grand Gedeh County and sold it to a Nigerian national only identified as Mark, who in turn sell the substance in Zwedru and to adjacent counties.
Our source details that LDEA commander also confiscated motorbike, awaiting court action, at which time the County Attorney had instructed him not to release the motorbike or drugs arrested.But Capt. Gaine allegedly refused to take instructions from the county attorney, and instead, went on to introduce the Nigerian Mark as his interest to the OPS and other security apparatus in River Gee.
The drug in question was arrested by LDEA Agent Hamilton Chea from another Nigerian named Chidi Duru at the Jouqecan checkpoint in River Gee County.But when this paper contacted Captain Gaine via mobile from Monrovia, he denies involvement in alleged sale of drugs in the county, dismissing the accusations as baseless.
However, he confirms the LDEA did arrest drugs worth over US$ 15,000 in the county, but the substance was burnt in the midst of local officials, and other security apparatus in the county.“I don’t think the information is true; it is false and misleading, all of those accusations against me”, he says.
“Since I entered in River Gee in April, we carried out a burning exercise on 6 June, where citizens, county authorities, civil authorities were all invited, and we burnt the drug that was arrested. I really don’t have any knowledge on what you saying.”
According to the LDEA county commander, he has document in his possession to substantiate the drug arrested was burnt in the presence of citizens, and various security authorities in the county.
Commander Gaine asked this reporter to seek additional clarity from the DEA OPS, and other security apparatus to prove his innocence.
But two local officials who spoke to this paper from the county on condition of anonymity say on October 3, 2018, Captain Gaine’s brother Sabarstine Gaine, seized 28 black plastic bags of marijuana, and reported only 16 plastic bags to the LDEA.
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They continued that Sabarstine also arrested 12kg of cocaine, but reported 8.5, and gave the balance to a user, who refused to repay him, which led to a fistfight between him and the user.The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) is a semi-autonomous agency under the supervisory authority of the Ministry of Justice.
The Agency is responsible for effective and efficient enforcement of laws controlling drugs, substances and essential chemicals besides protecting Liberia’s borders from importation and exportation of drugs and controlled substances.
By Lewis S. Teh–Editing by Jonathan Browne
