Press Statement: ActionAid Liberia Stands in Solidarity with women movements, and calls for system strengthening to combat illicit Drug in Liberia
This is part of efforts towards a national campaign in combating the wide spread of drugs.
As Liberians, especially women gather on Thursday in the capital, Monrovia, as part of efforts towards a national campaign in combating the wide spread of illicit drugs in Liberia, ActionAid Liberia demands system change for comprehensive response to tackle the drug menace.
It is no secrete that the continues proliferation and trafficking of illicit drugs in Liberia has and continues to devastate families and robbing Liberian youths of their future.
As a human rights organization, committed to social justice, gender equality, and youth empowerment, ActionAid Liberia sees the rising flow of illicit drug trafficking and abuse as national crisis, especially among young people.
Given the rise in the number of young people who have fallen prey to drugs, truly, ActionAid Liberia can boldly describe Drug as a “Silent Weapon, And a War” that requires a collective effort from all Liberians.
ActionAid Liberia emphasizes that tackling the drug crisis requires more than reactive measures—it demands a robust, well-resourced, and gender-responsive system that can prevent, treat, and rehabilitate. This includes: strengthening institutional frameworks for drug control, law enforcement, and public health, expanding access to trauma-informed mental health and rehabilitation services, investing in education, youth empowerment, and economic alternatives, ensuring inclusive policymaking that centers women’s voices and lived experiences, and enhance coordination among government agencies, civil society, and communities.
According to news reports from FrontPage Africa, Smart News Liberia, and Oracle News Daily, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) made some significant strides in combating narcotics trafficking: On July 12, 2025, a major drug bust occurred at Roberts International Airport (RIA). A Liberian woman, Quita Dolo Kosso, was arrested while attempting to smuggle 3.355 kilograms of cocaine into the country. The cocaine, concealed in her luggage, had an estimated street value of US$181,008, or approximately L$36 million. While in 2024, the 5th Judicial Circuit Court in Grand Cape Mount sentenced Four Drug Dealers to 10 Years in Prison among other arrests.
While we acknowledge the efforts made by the Liberian government to address the drug crisis across the country, it is increasingly important that this fight be waged with honesty, transparency, and unwavering commitment. The personnel of the Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA), who serve on the frontlines, must uphold the highest standards of integrity, trust, and patriotism.
Their role is not merely to enforce the law, but to embody the values that protect our nation from the corrosive effects of drug abuse and trafficking. Love for country must take precedence over personal profit. When DEA officers serve with honor and dedication, they become true guardians of Liberia’s future.
ActionAid is a global federation working for a world free from poverty and injustice. We want to see a just, fair and sustainable world, in which everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity, and freedom from poverty and oppression. We work to achieve social justice and gender equality, and to eradicate poverty.