Liberia: Dillon Questions Executive’s Commitment to Enforcing Drug Laws

Montserrado County Senator Abe Darius Dillon has raised serious concerns over the Liberian government’s failure to enforce its own anti-drug legislation, questioning the Executive Branch’s commitment to tackling the country’s growing drug crisis.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the Center for Rehabilitation and Reintegration’s (CFRR) second all-female cohort, Senator Dillon pointed to Liberia’s amended 2022 drug law as a powerful tool that remains dormant due to lack of political will and weak enforcement.

“The drug law is there, and it is strong,” Dillon declared. “The only reason it looks like it’s not working is because there’s no enforcement.”

According to Dillon, while lawmakers often bear the brunt of public criticism for government failures, it is the Executive Branch–through its security agencies and ministries–that holds the constitutional mandate to enforce laws.

“In Liberia, the lawmakers appear to be the problem–or maybe it’s true, because everything about the government appears to fall on the heads of the lawmakers,” he said. “We make laws about how traffic should flow, but when there’s a traffic jam, people ask, ‘What are the lawmakers doing?’ But it’s the police, under the Executive, who are supposed to enforce those laws.”

The Senator expressed deep frustration over unrealistic public expectations of legislators, especially regarding operational and enforcement issues that fall outside their purview.

“If you’re a lawmaker and you question traffic delays, they’ll say, ‘You’re a lawmaker–what are you doing?’ If you get down to direct traffic as a good citizen, they’ll say, ‘This one is a lawmaker and he’s directing traffic.’ I don’t know what people want us to do,” he said.

Dillon highlighted the amended drug law passed by the Legislature in 2022 and signed by former President George M. Weah, which introduces some of the harshest anti-narcotics provisions in West Africa.

“That law says if you import drugs, mass-produce drugs, or deal in wholesale trafficking, there is no bail for you,” he explained. “If you are caught with drugs on a ship, airplane, or truck, we will confiscate that vessel after a court trial proves it was deliberately used. The government will auction it and use the money to fight drugs.”

He added that convicted drug traffickers face between 15 to 25 years in prison, depending on the severity of the offense. Foreign nationals, once convicted, are to serve their sentence and be deported. Liberians, he stressed, will serve their full terms.

Despite the law’s clarity and toughness, Senator Dillon lamented that the Executive Branch has not demonstrated the will or coordination to enforce it.

Citing a specific example, Dillon referenced the 2022 cocaine seizure valued at US$100 million, which he described as a national embarrassment due to the failure of the justice system to prosecute the case effectively.

“Right after we passed the law, this country caught US$100 million worth of cocaine, but the government let the ship go,” Dillon recalled. “The Justice Ministry took people to court, but the court ruled they were the wrong suspects and freed them. The business center where the cocaine was found is still open. Yet people keep asking, ‘What are the lawmakers doing?’ When will you ask what the Executive is doing?”

Dillon emphasized that lawmakers are not prosecutors and do not have the authority to arrest or try criminals.

“We make the laws. We don’t enforce them. That’s the role of the Executive. Our job is to push, to advocate, and to oversee, but not to prosecute,” he noted.

The Senator also criticized the limited funding and internal leadership crises within the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA)–the frontline institution tasked with combating drug trafficking.

“In 2023, the LDEA’s budget was less than US$2 million. Under the Rescue Government, President Boakai and we lawmakers said we’re going to fight drugs–no more Kush. So, in the first national budget, we increased the LDEA’s funding to US$4 million,” Dillon stated.

He said the increased allocation was meant to help the agency recruit more officers, strengthen border control, and expand operations. However, instead of focusing on the fight against drugs, Dillon noted, the agency has become mired in internal power struggles.

“Instead of focusing on fighting drugs, those at the LDEA started fighting for power,” he said.

Despite the setbacks, Senator Dillon pledged to continue pushing for stronger enforcement, inter-agency coordination, and political accountability.

“We will keep trying,” he said. “If we can completely stop or reduce the importation of drugs, the ones already in the country will eventually run out. And when they do, people won’t be able to access them.”

The graduation ceremony also marked the successful rehabilitation of a group of women from drug addiction under Dillon’s CFRR program–further underscoring his commitment not just to legislation, but to recovery and reintegration.

As Liberia’s drug crisis worsens–with the spread of synthetic drugs like Kush taking a devastating toll on youth–Dillon’s message was clear: without enforcement, even the best laws mean nothing.

“The law is in place. The people responsible to enforce it must now rise to the challenge,” he concluded.

By Liberian Observer.