By Daniel Garteh
The Liberian Drugs Enforcement Agency Nimba detachment has charged and sent to the Sanniquellie Magisterial Court three drug suspects. They were i in possession of 42 wraps of Kush, a narcotic substance that is killing young people in the West African sub region.
The three suspects were arrested February 22, at about 8: PM in Zolowee Town District # 2 by members of the Community Watch Forum along with some Citizens of the Community after trying to sell the harmful substance to some young people in the area.
The suspects were turned over to the Liberia National Police Nimba Detachment for investigation and subsequently surrendered into the custodies of the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency on Feb. 24.
The alleged Kush traders identified as Stephen Dennis, age 27, a resident of Sehyikimpa town in Nimba District #2, Stanley Wehyee, and Emmanuel Youhn were investigated, charged, and sent to the court with the crime of illegal Possession of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Use of drugs and forwarded to the Sanniquellie Magisterial court on Monday, Feb 26, 2024.
The three suspects are said to be behind bars at the Sanniquellie Central Prison pending court trial.
31 January, President Boakai declared the proliferation of drugs and substance abuse as National Health Emergency, announcing series of measures to eradicate the epidemic that is taking a plague on the country’s youthful population. National secretariat has been constituted, drafting strategies to guide the war against drug.
According to UNPFA report of 2022, it is estimated that 2 in 10 youth in Liberia are users of narcotic substances. To sustain the desire and use of narcotic drugs, these young people who live in ghettos, street corners, and cemeteries often resort to crime, including armed robberies.
Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia are grappling with an increasing number of young people becoming addicted to a substance known as kush or K2. Abuse of the drug has already killed several people in the region.
It’s a substance rolled up and smoked like a cigarette or cannabis. But the illegal synthetic drug known as kush is not to be mistaken with the synonymous marijuana strain.
Rising cases in Sierra Leone and Guinea have shown that the drug is dangerous: After a few puffs, the consumer is left stoned, unable to stand upright.