Liberia’s former Vice-President Jewel Howard-Taylor has been charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, and several related offences as authorities investigate an alleged transnational drug network. The 63-year-old politician was detained on Wednesday while attempting to board a flight at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia, according to confirmation from the country’s justice ministry. Police chief Gregory Coleman has connected her to the seizure last month of cocaine valued at $317 million.
Howard-Taylor has not publicly commented on the allegations. Her legal representation stated they cannot offer remarks until she appears before a court for formal charges. The politician entered public service following the departure from power of her former husband, Charles Taylor, who previously served as Liberia’s president from 1997 to 2003 after leading a rebel faction. Charles Taylor was later convicted by a United Nations-backed court of aiding insurgent groups in neighbouring Sierra Leone during a regional conflict.
The charges against Howard-Taylor include unlicensed importation and sale of controlled substances, illicit trafficking, criminal solicitation, and criminal facilitation. She served as Vice-President under George Weah from 2018 until 2024. Three foreign nationals—two Croatians and one Ukrainian—have also been charged in absentia as alleged members of the same network, with Justice Minister Oswald Tweh indicating authorities will pursue domestic and international measures to apprehend them.
Liberia has intensified enforcement against cocaine trafficking following major seizures in June and July. A haul discovered in July, consisting of nearly four tonnes of cocaine destined for Europe, was described by authorities as the nation’s largest drug seizure and revealed evidence of an organized transnational operation. The investigation has expanded to include senior officials within Liberia’s security sector, with the government emphasizing that no position, political affiliation, nationality, or individual will be exempted from legal accountability in pursuing those involved in trafficking, financing, organizing, or protecting such operations.
West Africa has emerged as a significant conduit for cocaine moving from South America to Europe, with traffickers capitalizing on inadequate border controls and enforcement challenges across portions of the region.
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