The Government of Liberia has delivered a fleet of 15 brand-new vehicles to the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), valued at approximately US$456,000, to intensify the fight against drug trafficking and abuse nationwide.
By Kruah Thompson
MONROVIA, Sept. 30, 2025 – The consignment includes 12 Toyota Hilux pickups, two Toyota Land Cruisers, and one Toyota Fortuner.
LDEA Officials say the vehicles are intended to enhance the agency’s ability to combat the rising wave of drug addiction among Liberian youth, particularly the abuse of the synthetic drug, which has been linked to increasing deaths nationwide.
The intervention comes at a critical time for the LDEA, which has for years battled severe logistical and operational challenges, including Limited vehicles, insufficient funding, and porous border controls.
These challenges have hampered the agency’s efforts to curb narcotics trafficking and dismantle ghettos operating in urban and rural communities.
While the new administration has recently intensified arrests and raids on drug dens in neighborhoods, the deepening crisis of youth addiction has complicated enforcement efforts, leaving the LDEA under pressure to respond effectively.
On Monday, the new fleet was officially turned over to the agency. According to market estimates gathered by this paper, a 2023 Toyota Fortuner currently sells in Liberia for around US$52,000, while a fully equipped Toyota Hilux 4×4 Double Cabin pickup costs US$38,000. The combined cost of two Toyota Land Cruisers amounts to the government’s stated investment of about US$456,000.
In a statement, the LDEA said the vehicles would be deployed to strengthen nationwide operations, improve mobility, and ensure quicker response times in communities hardest hit by the drug epidemic.
The government, meanwhile, reaffirmed its commitment to backing law enforcement institutions in their battle against narcotics, describing the initiative as a “decisive step toward building a safer, drug-free Liberia.”
