Monrovia — Opposition leader Alexander Cummings has launched a scathing attack on the Weah administration, accusing it of mishandling the high-profile US$100 million cocaine case and allowing drug traffickers to evade justice.
In his Independence Day message, Cummings labeled the government's actions as an "unforgivable national sin" and a "disgrace of historic proportions."
"Under President Weah, drug traffickers are right to feel protected. The Weah-led government has done a lot of bad, corrupt and incompetent things," he said.
"But to have mismanaged the one hundred-million-dollar drug bust prosecution the way it did, is to effectively conspire against the interests of our nation and its children. For this government to set the drug traffickers free, is an unforgiving national sin. It is a disgrace of historic proportions."
Cummings said the mishandling of the US$100 million cocaine case was tantamount to conspiring against the nation's interests and the wellbeing of its children.
Early this year, the Liberian government put on trial four men it accused of importing a staggering 520 kilograms of cocaine, valued at US$100 million, into Liberia. Despite the gravity of the charges, the defendants were acquitted by Criminal Court C Judge Blamo. The judge's decision came after 11 out of 12 jurors found the men not guilty on charges that included money laundering, unlicensed possession of controlled drugs, unlicensed importation of controlled drugs, and criminal conspiracy. Judge Blamo later remarked that the government's evidence failed to convince the jury of the defendants' culpability.
Mr. Cummings expressed dismay at the government's subsequent declaration of a state of emergency on drugs after the acquittal, viewing it as an ironic move that came only after the alleged drug traffickers were set free.
"They say, curse is upon the dog that only barks after the rogue has left. Curse, also, is upon a government that will declare a so-called state of emergency on drugs after helping cocaine traffickers to freely walk away!" Cummings asserted, challenging the government's commitment to tackling the drug epidemic.
Liberia is witnessing a rapid increase in drug addiction, with an estimated 2 in 10 youth falling prey to narcotic substances. Many of these vulnerable young individuals, residing in ghettos, street corners, and cemeteries, resort to crime, including armed robberies, in their pursuit of sustaining their drug habits.
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The Ministry of Youth and Sports has identified several factors contributing to the rise of "At-Risk Youth" in Liberia, including peer pressure, poverty, sexual and physical abuse, weak family support systems, and intergenerational drug use. The prevalence of former child soldiers among the parents of current drug addicts is also a concerning trend, as these individuals were exposed to drugs at a tender age during their time as child soldiers.
Addressing the nation, Cummings emphasized that young people are the key to Liberia's future, underscoring the need for a collective effort to combat the growing drug menace that poses a significant threat to the country's progress and the safety of its children.
Promising decisive action if elected president, Cummings vowed to take on drug traffickers directly. "We will come after you for what you are doing to our children and to the future of our country," he declared, sending a stern warning to those involved in the drug trade.
Under a Cummings-led government, he asserted, drug traffickers will find no safe haven except for prisons; pledging to provide support and assistance to those already grappling with drug addiction.
"Today, let me put the drug traffickers and enablers on notice: We will come after you for what you are doing to our children, and to the future of our country. Stop now because under a Cummings-led government, there will be no hiding place for drug traffickers except in our prisons! To those who are already addicted, help is on the way."
