Monrovia, Liberia – Sinoe County Senator Cllr. Augustine S. Chea has raised concerns over what he describes as the Boakai administration’s handling of Liberia’s anti-drug campaign, questioning whether the government’s approach is undermining the credibility of its own fight against narcotics.
In a detailed statement, Senator Chea argued that the fight against drugs is too critical to Liberia’s national security and public health to be overshadowed by politics. He accused the administration of allowing what was once presented as a robust anti-drug agenda to become entangled in controversy, selective enforcement, and political distraction.
Chea recalled that during the 2023 presidential campaign, then-candidate Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the Unity Party pledged an aggressive crackdown on drug trafficking. While in opposition, the party repeatedly accused the former Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) administration of failing to combat the country’s growing drug crisis and promised a policy of zero tolerance if elected.
According to the senator, President Boakai reinforced that commitment upon taking office by declaring drugs a public enemy, requiring public officials to undergo drug testing, and emphasizing accountability across government. He noted that during confirmation hearings, several senators routinely asked presidential nominees whether they had complied with the administration’s mandatory drug-testing policy. However, Chea contended that the government’s resolve now appears to have weakened.
He pointed to the seizure of cocaine valued at an estimated US$19 million at Roberts International Airport, followed less than two months later by another seizure estimated at approximately US$350 million from a residence along the Robertsfield Highway. Rather than strengthening public confidence in the government’s anti-drug campaign, he argued, the handling of both investigations has generated widespread public concern.
“The fight against drugs is too important to be reduced to a political distraction,” Chea said, adding that the government’s response has raised more questions than answers. The senator maintained that instead of assuring Liberians that every lead would be pursued regardless of where it leads, the investigations have become clouded by allegations of selective treatment and political interference.
He said there is a growing public perception that certain senior government and security officials are being protected from scrutiny while attention is being directed toward opposition politicians. Chea specifically criticized a recent Unity Party statement linking the US$350 million cocaine seizure to CDC Senator Nathaniel McGill because the property where the drugs were allegedly discovered is located within his community.
According to him, such assertions risk politicizing an investigation that should be driven strictly by evidence.He noted that several prominent Unity Party supporters and government officials also reside in the same community but have not been publicly associated with the case, arguing that this selective focus creates the impression of political bias. “A drug investigation should not be about protecting friends and political allies while targeting opponents,” Chea asserted.
“It should be about following the evidence, identifying every member of the trafficking network, exposing those who finance it, and prosecuting every individual involved regardless of office, influence, or political affiliation.” The lawmaker further argued that the manner in which the investigations have unfolded has weakened public confidence in the government’s ability to conduct an independent, impartial, and credible inquiry.
He noted that many Liberians are now calling for international assistance to support the investigations, describing such appeals as a troubling reflection of declining public trust. Chea emphasized that drug trafficking should never be viewed through a partisan lens. “As I have said many times before, drug trafficking is neither a Unity Party problem nor a CDC problem. It is a Liberian problem,” he stated, adding that while in opposition, the Unity Party “hypocritically and cynically” portrayed the issue as solely a CDC problem.
He warned that illegal drugs continue to destroy lives, fuel crime, weaken public institutions, and threaten Liberia’s future, stressing that the challenge requires a united national response rather than political division. Chea concluded by urging the Boakai administration to honor its campaign commitment by ensuring that anti-drug investigations are transparent, impartial, and free from political influence.
“Liberians were promised a war on drugs. Now is the time to fulfill that promise. There should be no excuses or distractions. Any attempt to politicize the fight against drugs while shielding the main actors makes a mockery of the drug fight,” the senator said.
