Former Liberian Vice-President Jewel Howard-Taylor has been charged with drug trafficking, money laundering and other offences in connection with an investigation into an alleged transnational narcotics network.
The 63-year-old was detained on Wednesday at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia, where she was reportedly stopped before boarding a flight.
Liberia’s Justice Ministry confirmed the charges, while Police Chief Gregory Coleman linked Howard-Taylor to the seizure of cocaine valued at about $317 million last month.
The former Vice-President is facing allegations including the unlicensed importation, sale and transportation of controlled drugs, illicit trafficking, criminal solicitation and criminal facilitation.
Howard-Taylor has not publicly commented on the allegations. Her lawyer told the BBC he could not comment until she had been formally charged in court.
The investigation follows Liberia’s biggest-ever reported drug seizure, after authorities discovered almost four tonnes of cocaine believed to have been destined for Europe during a raid in July.
Three foreign nationals—two Croatians and a Ukrainian—have also been charged in absentia and are accused of being part of the same alleged trafficking network.
Liberian Justice Minister Oswald Tweh says authorities will use both domestic and international measures to locate and arrest the suspects.
The government has vowed to pursue everyone connected to the alleged operation, including financiers, organisers and individuals accused of providing protection.
Howard-Taylor served as Liberia’s Vice-President from 2018 to 2024 under former President George Weah.
She entered frontline politics after her former husband, Charles Taylor, left office. Charles Taylor, a former rebel leader and Liberian president, was later convicted by a UN-backed court for aiding and abetting rebels during Sierra Leone’s civil war.
The latest investigation comes as Liberia intensifies its crackdown on cocaine trafficking, with authorities warning that West Africa remains a major transit route for cocaine shipments from South America to Europe.
