Liberia charges former vice-president with drug trafficking, other offenses

Liberia has formally charged former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor with drug trafficking, money laundering, and multiple related offenses, according to prosecutors. The 63-year-old politician was apprehended at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia while attempting to board a flight. She is accused of unlicensed importation, sale, distribution, and transportation of controlled substances, as well as illicit trafficking, criminal solicitation, criminal facilitation, criminal conspiracy, and money laundering.

Prosecutors also targeted international elements within the alleged syndicate, charging three foreign nationals in absentia. The charges stem from a major narcotics investigation and follow Liberia's largest recorded cocaine seizure, which included nearly four tonnes of cocaine estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Liberian Justice Minister Oswald Tweh stated that authorities will employ both domestic and international measures to locate and apprehend the fugitive suspects. The indictment comes as Liberia intensifies efforts to crack down on transnational narcotics networks, targeting senior echelons of the country's security apparatus to identify organizers, financiers, and protectors.

This case adds a political layer to the ongoing crisis, with Howard-Taylor's extensive tenure in high office and her previous role as vice president from 2018 to 2024 potentially complicating the investigation.