LDEA Director-General Designate: Working To Promote Rule of Law Under The ARREST-Agenda The designated Director-General of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), Anthony K. Souh, has spoken of a plan on preventing drug misuse and addiction: The Best Strategy under the ARREST-Agenda. But under theARREST agenda – an acronym representing Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism, and or, economic downturn, the Agency, under Mr. Souh has enforced it fight against the widespread of illegal substances across the country. As noted, Mr. Souh said early use of drugs increases a person’s chances of becoming addicted, but added that under the ARREST Agenda; the agency will institute the rule of law. “Remember, drugs change the brain—and this can lead to addiction and other serious problems. So, preventing early use of drugs or alcohol may go a long way; this is the task we are prepared to handle in keeping with the law,” Mr. Souh said at a recent event in Monrovia. According to him, risk of drug use increases greatly during times of transition. For an adult, a divorce or loss of a job may increase the risk of drug use. For a teenager, risky times include moving, family divorce, or changing schools. When children advance from elementary through middle school, they face new and challenging social, family, and academic situations. Often during this period, children are exposed to substances such as cigarettes and alcohol for the first time. When they enter high school, teens may encounter greater availability of drugs. “National drug use surveys indicate some children are using drugs by age 12 or 13. Prevention is the best strategy,’ he said. These prevention programs work to boost protective factors and eliminate or reduce risk factors for drug use. LDEA: The Need for Strategic Reforms and Support Mr. Souh recently informed a Senate Committee on National Security, Defense and Veteran Affairs that the agency is challenged despite it being declared as National Public Health Emergency. He told the hearing on Thursday, November 20, 2024, that the agency has only 631 bonfide employees; assisted by more than 1,500 none employees, who are being classified as “Action Agents” or the “AAs;” a nomenclature ascribed to none employees in any security sector, some of whom are currently assigned nationwide. “I know that the challenges ahead of me and my team are enormous and so too are the expectation of the Liberian people, our partners and international colleagues, some of whom have worked with us in the past that trust our ability and believe in our contributions in fighting international drugs cartels,” Mr. Souh told members of the Senate Committee. He said while it is true that he has not been designated to the agency with a magic wand to fight the wave of illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances raving the country, he remains optimistic that his team will take some immediate actions to make things better.” Funding
As of the funding to the agency, Mr. Souh informed the hearing that the LDEA is “grossly underfunded to the extent that in 2024, the agency received US$3.6 million in budgetary allotment, and for 2025, the LDEA also received a budgetary scaling of US$2.8 million from the Ministry of Finance, Development Planning to work with an agency for the year 2025.” With those challenges, however, Mr. Souh assured members of the Senate Committee that when confirmed, his team will work with stakeholders to address drug abuse and illicit trafficking as a National Public Health Emergency as President Joseph NyumaBoakai has already declared by equality or concomitantly beginning with the restructuring of the LDEA. According to Mr. Souh, reason for the restructure is to ensure that it the agency meets international best practice standards; recruits and vets applicants for basic training through background investigation, drug screening and subsequently go through basic training to be gainfully employed by the agency. During Mr. Peter’s four months as OIC- significant progress was made at the agency emanating from seizing huge quantity of illegal drugs, securing substantial imprisonment terms for convicted drug dealers and traffickers. Mr. Peter resigned four months later which ended his interim period.
In his letter of resignation, Peters underscored the importance of institutional reforms and maintaining a united and focused approach towards drug supply reduction, while also working on demand reduction through prevention and rehabilitation efforts. He also spoke of critical issues plaguing the LDEA, including understaffing, low budgetary support, inadequate salaries, and lack of training and logistics. Mr. Peters said to effectively combat the drug trade, government has to put in place strategic reforms, additional staff recruitment, increased budget allocation, and support from key partners that are essential for the smooth operations of the agency. Meanwhile, over the years, the agency has experienced tremendous challenges, owing to lack of logistics, low budgetary allotment encompassing manpower development. In the aftermath of Mr. Peter’s resignation, Pres. Boakai named Mr. Suoh as the new acting Director-General of the LDEA, subject to confirmation by the Senate. But earlier in his statement as acting director-general, Souh called for collaborative efforts against illicit drugs He urged citizens as well as international partners to join forces in the fight against illicit drugs in the country. He also emphasized that the fight against illicit drugs need prepared professionals, capacity-building and manpower development to accomplish the objective of the institution. “Liberia as a nation cannot fight the issue of illicit drugs alone, as there is a need for international partners’ intervention to join hands with the government, citing that drug abuse and illicit trafficking is a transnational organized crime that knows no border.” The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency The LDEA was established on December, 23, 1998, and remains a semi-autonomous agency under the supervisory authority of the Ministry of Justice. The agency has a functional structure, and is headed by a director-general, assisted by two deputies all of whom are appointed by the President. Among its sensitive role are to implement measures to protect the territorial borders of Liberia from the importation and exportation of illegal drugs and controlled substances. The LDEA, which is “responsible for the efficient and effective law enforcement of all the provisions on any controlled drugs and substances,” is also the secretariat and implementing arm of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Board. In principle, the Board’s functions are broader than law enforcement as it is mandated to “formulate, develop and establish comprehensive, integrated, unified and balanced national drug use prevention and control strategy.” As secretariat, the LDEA is likely to press the Board to focus on enforcement and punitive approaches rather than public health. Vision It vision is to become most proactive and one of the leading Drug Law Enforcement Agency in West Africa, and one of the best in the world through the provision of effective and efficient services to Liberians by cutting off supply of illicit drugs. Also, to reduce demand for illicit drugs, and other substances of abuse, tracing and recovering drug related proceeds, and contributing to the creation and maintenance of an enviable image of the country throughout the world. Mission The mission shall disrupt, dismantle, and eliminate all threats posed to the country by illicit drug trafficking and abuse. It shall deploy all resources at its disposal for a complete purge of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; suppression of demand for illicit drugs and other substances of abuse; retrieval of ill-gotten wealth acquired from proceeds of illicit drug trade; protection, enhancement and maintenance of the image of the country and its citizens in the diaspora. Who is Anthony K. Souh Born in a little settlement of Nyor-Gomaplay, near the Liberian-Ivorian border in northern Liberia, Nimba County, Anthony K. Souh, fathered by Mr. Kawah Souh (deceased), lives a life of a security dating back from the 70s when he started his career as a patrolman/security officer at the Ministry of Finance, now Ministry of Finance, and Development Planning. Mr. Souh assignment was in 1976 when his responsibilities was to keep eyes on the ground of the ministry and simultaneously protects property at the Freeport of Monrovia and deter overnight smuggling of goods from its premises. Having being trained in later years in America, Germany and other developed countries, Mr. Souh was subsequently promoted as Chief of Customs and assigned in the Intelligence Unit of the then Ministry of National Security (MNS), detecting fraud; recruiting and maintaining agents in Customs and Revenue. Based on his effective and none compromising posture in the performance of his assigned duty, Mr. Souh was elevated as deputy-director in-charged of Economic Crime Investigation Department (ECID) from where he directly handled fraud, corruption and other related cases. In September 2001-October 2003, during the administration of the Interim Arrangement under Mr. Charles Gyude Bryant, Mr. Souh was appointed Assistant Minister in-charge of the ECID. Having successfully ended the Bryant era, Mr. Souh was in March 2004, assigned at the National Security Agency (NSA) as deputy-director responsible for Special Services, planning, directing and supervising covert and overt operations, among others. Fast forward, taking over the LDEA as it director-general, is just a return to the position as a game changer; a position Mr. Souh previously served with distinction tracking several illicit drug deals from May, 2012-2017,until the government under Unity Party surrendered headship to the Congress for Democratic Change following a democratic held election. As a veteran and well-trained security expert, Mr. Souh went to the United States of America and was subsequently recruited as a security guard, assigned with the Allied Security Services atRaligh, North Carolina. Professional Training Some of Mr.Souh’s trainings included but not limited to an Advance Diploma he holds in Countering Transitional Organization Crimes from George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Garmich-Partenklarchen, Germany. A Certificate in Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery (Money Laundering) offered by the International Center for Asset Recovery of the Based Institute on Good Governance, Geneva-Switzerland. A Certificate Counter Narcotic Trade Craft Course offered by the Government of the United States of America; another Certificate in Counter Narcotic (CN) Report Writing and Analysis offered by the Government of the United States of America. A Certificate of Participation in a workshop for prosecutors, Law Enforcement Officers and Security officers organized by the Ministry of Justice and the United Nations Mission in Liberia. Other area of service As though the training he acquired from the security sector was not beneficial to him while in exile in neighboring La Cote d’voire, during Liberia’s civil crisis, Mr. Souh obtained two certificates of participation in International and Humanitarian Law from the International Red Cross, and another two certificates in Education (teaching) from the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) Frontline Education with sponsorship from the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees.
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