Police arrest smuggled drugs

Flashback: fake and expired drugs destroyed in Ganta in May

Police in Ganta, Nimba County have arrested 40 cartoons of pharmaceutical drugs smuggled from neighboring Guinea into Liberia. The arrest was carried out on Friday by the commander for the Liberia National Police in Ganta, Adolphus Zouah.

The NewDawn Nimba correspondent said the drugs entered here thru the Ganta Main border between Liberia and Guinea. Proprietor of the drugs is yet to be identified, but the consignment was transported onboard a truck into Ganta The truck driver Suah Bility, allegedly paid US$5.00 to Liberian Joint Security officers, including agents of the Liberia Revenue Authority assigned at the border to allow the passage along with other goods onboard.

Some residents of Ganta have expressed apprehension about security, noting that border guards seem more interested in receiving tips or bribes than protecting lives and property. The truck is being impounded by the police in Ganta, pending identification of owners of the drugs onboard.

Our correspondent said the Ganta border is one of several border entries where fake drugs are brought into the country daily from Guinea. Our correspondent said after police arrested the truck in Ganta, it was returned to the border, and marketers that had goods onboard were requested to re-pay customs duties before collecting their items.

A month ago, the Nimba County Health Team along in collaboration with the Pharmacy Board of Liberia arrested and destroyed huge counterfeit and expired drugs in Ganta.  The fake and expired drugs, including drugs brought in by the government were arrested from drugs store owners and street venders in Ganta, Sanniquellie, Bahn and Saclepea, respectively in a vigorous sweep by health authorities.

The head of the Nimba County branch of the Pharmacy Board of Liberia, Fon OlI Zansi said, some of the drugs were illegally brought into the country.  Our Nimba correspondent said among drugs destroyed include those that had expired since 2013, but were still being sole to the public. They included REALIFY Extra, OSTEO, MITAKA, Ampicillin and Pain off. Others were EXDOMs, Chapvil, IDA, and Sodium Chloride, among others.

By Franklin Doloquee, Nimba-Editing by Jonathan Browne