Liberia cannot successfully fight organized narcotics trafficking if government officials who knowingly assist drug networks are protected because of their political connections or public positions.
If the ongoing investigation establishes that any government official, whether from a past or present administration, knowingly participated in financing, transporting, protecting, facilitating or profiting from a drug trafficking operation, that person should face the law.
There should be no political protection.
There should be no party loyalty.
There should be no special treatment because someone once held a powerful government position.
The reported seizure of more than 4,000 kilograms of suspected cocaine, with an estimated value of about US$336 million, demands a serious investigation into the entire network behind the shipments.
It is not enough to identify the people who allegedly transported the drugs.
Liberians need to know who financed the operation, who organized it, who provided logistical support, who facilitated its movement and whether anyone inside government or the security institutions helped protect it.
If public officials were involved, their positions make the allegations even more serious.
Government officials are entrusted with protecting the country. If any of them knowingly use that authority to assist drug traffickers, they are not simply committing an ordinary crime. They are potentially helping undermine national security and exposing Liberian communities, particularly young people, to a dangerous illegal trade.
But there must also be a clear distinction between being investigated and being guilty.
A person should not be punished because of political accusations or public suspicion. The government must prove its case with credible and admissible evidence.
That principle must apply to everyone.
If the evidence leads to officials from the former government, prosecute them.
If it leads to officials serving under the current government, prosecute them.
If it leads to opposition politicians, security officers, businesspeople or foreign nationals, prosecute them.
The investigation must not be selective.
The government has said there will be no sacred cows. Now it must demonstrate that promise through its actions.
The most important question is whether investigators will pursue the entire alleged criminal structure rather than stopping with prominent names or low-level suspects.
The investigation should follow the money.
It should follow the communications.
It should follow the transportation arrangements.
It should follow the people who allegedly provided protection.
And it should follow anyone who knowingly benefited from the operation.
If that trail eventually reaches government offices, the investigation must not stop at the door.
Liberia has seen too many cases in which powerful individuals are accused of wrongdoing but accountability becomes difficult when political interests are involved.
This drug investigation should be different.
It should establish a clear principle that public office does not provide immunity from prosecution.
At the same time, the government must protect due process. The goal should not be to punish people simply because they are unpopular or politically opposed to those in power.
The goal should be justice based on evidence.
If an official is innocent, that person should be cleared.
If an official is guilty, that person should face the consequences.
Liberia cannot afford selective justice in a case of this magnitude.
The fight against the alleged drug cartel must reach everyone involved, regardless of whether they currently occupy a government office or previously held one.
If the evidence leads to a government official, the law must follow.
