IPNEWS: When you stand by and watch the operations of officers of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency or LDEA, you begin to wonder as to whether the men and women in the black uniforms with the inscription ‘LDEA’ on the back are criminals or law enforcers.

They don’t only rob suspects of their valuable items, including mobile phones and monies, they in some instances let go suspects with more cash and valuables, while suspects with no valuable items and money are loaded on pickups and taken to the LDEA offices in the Township of West Point or elsewhere.

What they do with the cash and other valuables that they take from suspects is your best guess.

Robbery, compromises, and bribe-taking have become a daily routine of LDEA officers.

Nevertheless, there are some professional and scrupulous officers in the LDEA, but as it is often said, ‘one rotten apple spoils the rest’.

Don’t get me wrong, this article is not intended to besmear the good image of this anti-drug agency but, intended to be a wakeup call to its authorities that there are some unscrupulous officers whose daily activities are undermining the Agency’s efforts to minimize the trafficking, sale and use of illicit drugs in Liberia.

Until you get rid of these unscrupulous individuals, their activities will continue to cast aspersion on this vibrant public agency.

The Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA), a semi-autonomous agency under the supervisory, Authorities of the Ministry of Justice, is responsible for the effective and efficient enforcement of laws about controlled drugs, substances, and precursors, including essential chemicals.

The LDEA was established in 1998 as an autonomous agency within the Ministry of Justice and is headed by a director, appointed by the President.

It plays a drug-crime-focused role in national law enforcement. The Agency implements measures to protect the territorial borders of Liberia from the importation and exportation of drugs and controlled substances.