The Mayor of Ganta City, Nimba County, Mr. Samuel S. Hardt, Sr., denies conniving with the Business Community of Ganta City in aiding a notorious drug dealer to escape police custody.
By: S. Matthew M. Quoi, Jr., Nimba County
Ganta, Liberia; August 26, 2025 – The Mayor of Ganta City, Nimba County, Mr. Samuel S. Hardt, Sr., has debunked a recent news report, alleging that he and the Business Community of Ganta City aided a notorious drug dealer to escaping police custody.
In a press statement, Mayor Hardt described the publication as false, misleading, and a calculated attempt to undermine the ongoing collective efforts of his office, the Business Community, and residents of Ganta City in the fight against narcotics.
He categorically denied any involvement, stressing that at no point in time did he, nor the Business Community of Ganta facilitate the escape of Prince Charles Taylor, a hardcore notorious drug dealer.
Mayor Hardt clarified that Taylor escaped from the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA) Ganta Detachment cell after requesting to use the bathroom, not through any aid or facilitation from city officials or the Business Community.
According to him, the Ganta Business Association, in collaboration with the citizens of Ganta City and the City Corporation, has been at the forefront of intensifying the fight against narcotics, which he said continues to damage lives of many young people across Liberia.
He recalled that on August 15, 2025, the City Corporation of Ganta, alongside the Business Community and citizens, staged a citywide parade to demonstrate their collective stance in the rigorous fight against drugs.
That parade, he emphasized, was inspired by President Joseph Boakai’s declaration of illicit drugs as a “National Health Emergency,” a move widely supported by the people of Ganta.
The mayor disclosed that since the commencement of this collective anti-drug campaign, his office and community groups, working in partnership with the LDEA Nimba Detachment, have successfully demolished over 10 ghettos.
Among those demolished, he noted, were two notorious hideouts used by drug consumers and traffickers, which had posed serious security threats to the city and its environs.
Additionally, he reported that seven suspected notorious drug dealers were arrested during this ongoing campaign.
He explained that every arrest made so far has been carried out in the presence of officers from the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency, the Liberia National Police, and members of the media to ensure transparency and accountability.
The mayor further disclosed that searches and arrests are being led by the LDEA and LNP, with support from the Ganta Anti-Drug and Crime Community Taskforce, a vigilant group established by his office in partnership with security agencies and community members.
This taskforce, he said, was created to aid law enforcement authorities in curbing the proliferation of illegal drugs and restoring sanity to the community.
Mayor Hardt lamented that despite these concrete achievements, the media institution on question failed to highlight the unprecedented efforts of ordinary citizens in Ganta, who have taken bold steps to confront the growing drug problem.
He described the allegation as regrettable, disheartening, frustrating, and a sad attempt to downplay sacrifices of the people of Ganta and neighboring towns in the fight against drugs.
According to him, such reports amount to nothing more than a smear campaign, intended to overshadow the remarkable achievements and dedication of patriotic Liberians in Ganta.
“The fight against drugs is a national security matter that demands honesty, unity, and responsibility, not sensationalism or personal attacks,” Mayor Hardt emphasized.
He cautioned media institutions to avoid being used as platforms to discourage patriotic Liberians, who are standing tall in the fight against drugs, a struggle that is not just local, but national in scope. Editing by Jonathan Browne
