Those who have refused to take the much-heralded drug test should now be worried as the new team at the Agency is pushing for the test nationwide.
The newly appointed Officer-in-Charge of the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA), Fitzgerald T. M. Biago has unveiled sweeping reforms.
The reform, Biago said, aimed at restoring credibility to the embattled Agency, beginning with mandatory nationwide drug tests for all LDEA officers and other officials.
He spoke at a press conference in Monrovia on Monday, September 1, 2025.
Biago said the integrity of the Agency rests on the conduct of its personnel, though many of them, including county commanders, are serving as “Action Agents.”
“Those leading the war against drugs must themselves be beyond reproach,” he declared, promising to root out corruption and restore public trust at the entity.
The Biago move comes as the country battles a worsening drug epidemic, with synthetic substances such as Kush, or Sparkling Kush, Cocaine, and others, devastating local communities
Earlier this year, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai declared drug abuse a national health and security emergency.
Civil society organizations and critics have repeatedly accused the LDEA of corruption, with some officers, including Abraham Okai Payne, allegedly colluding with traffickers.
Analysts say Biago’s testing directive could uncover deep internal weaknesses but also risk disrupting operations if widespread failures are found.
In addition to the drug tests, Biago announced the launch of an Anti-Drugs Hotline. He pledged closer cooperation with some suspected drug-free officers of the Liberia National Police and the joint security taskforce.
“Let this be a final warning:” Biago said: “to all traffickers and distributors profiting from the destruction of lives, your time is over.”
To demonstrate transparency, the Biago and senior members of his interim leadership team voluntarily underwent drug testing immediately after the briefing, all officers nationwide are expected to follow.
“This is not a witch-hunt; it is about accountability,” Biago said, framing the exercise as a new standard of discipline rather than punishment.
Observers, however, remain cautious. Many argue that without sustained funding, logistics, and political independence, Biago’s reforms risk becoming another unfulfilled promise in the battle to make the country drug-free. He appealed for partnership from civil society, the media, and joint security actors, adding that defeating illicit substance abuse requires collective effort.
“With strong collaboration, we can achieve a drug-free Liberia,” Biago noted.