In Summary:
Vandalark Patricks, a panelist on Spoon Talk, claimed that the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) operates on a budget of less than $6 million
We have verified this claim by reviewing the 2025 National Budget, as published by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
Our review found that the LDEA’s budget does not exceed $6 million.
On August 19, Vandalark Patricks, a panelist on Spoon Talk, claimed that the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) operates on a budget of less than $6 million.
Patricks made the statement during a discussion on Spoon FM at the 4-hour 28-minute timestamp of the show, criticizing citizens for condemning the LDEA’s efforts in tackling drug-related issues across the country despite what he described as limited funding to the institution.
The Claim
“The Budget of the LDEA is less than $6 million dollar but this is the signature project of the President”
Rating Justification
To verify this claim, we reviewed the 2025 National Budget as published by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
In the approved budget document, specifically on page 182, we identified a line item under the Ministry of Justice with the budget code 500 Drug Enforcement Agency. The LDEA’s total allocation for the 2025 fiscal year amounts to US$3.5 million.
We searched further to establish what the allocations to the LDEA were in previous years, and these are what we found:
In FY2024, the agency received an allotment of US$2.3 million, while in FY2023 it was allotted US$1.7 million.
Conclusion
Based on our review of the official 2025 National Budget, we conclude that Vandalark Patricks’ claim that the LDEA operates on a budget of less than 6 million is correct.
In FY2025, the entity received an allotment of US$3.5 million, while in FY2024, it was allotted US$2.3 million and US$1.7 million in FY2023.
