Liberia Accuses Sierra Leone of Fueling Its Drug Crisis

Claim: Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency Accuses Sierra Leone of Fueling its Drug Crisis

Verdict: TRUE

Context: Christopher Peters, Officer-In-Charge of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), stated that most illicit drugs entering Liberia pass through the Sierra Leone border. He made this claim during a regular press briefing at the Ministry of Information in Monrovia. This story has been reported by several Liberian media outlets and Mano Reporters, a credible media outlet in Sierra Leone.

Evidence:

• Sierra Check reached out to their fact-checking partner in Liberia, I-Lab Liberia, who confirmed the accuracy of the story.

• I-Lab Liberia provided a clip of the one-hour-long press conference where Christopher Peters made the claims. The clip can be viewed here.

• During the press conference, Peters stated: “From our observations so far, Sierra Leone, the border side, and all of the other illegal entries; Sierra Leone is causing difficult problems for us.” He also mentioned Guinea and Ivory Coast as other sources of illicit drug entry into Liberia.

Conclusion: The claim that the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency accuses Sierra Leone of fueling its drug crisis is true. Christopher Peters made these assertions during a press briefing, highlighting the challenges Liberia faces with drug trafficking through its borders, including those shared with Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast.