Former Liberian vice president charged in drug-trafficking probe
Liberia has charged former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor with drug trafficking, money laundering and other offences, as part of a wider crackdown on transnational cocaine trafficking through the West African country. She was detained at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia as she attempted to board a flight to leave Liberia, and taken to national police headquarters; she has not yet commented publicly on the charges.
Howard-Taylor, who served as vice president from 2018 to 2024 under President George Weah, is accused of illegally importing, selling and transporting controlled drugs, and of helping facilitate a trafficking network. Three foreign nationals — two Croatians and one Ukrainian — have been charged in absentia in connection with the same network, and authorities say they intend to pursue everyone involved, from organisers to financiers. The case follows several major drug seizures in recent months and comes amid a broader anti-corruption push by President Joseph Boakai, who has vowed to prevent Liberia becoming a hub for the growing South America-to-Europe cocaine trade via West Africa.
- Ex-Liberian VP Jewel Howard-Taylor charged with drug trafficking and money laundering
- Detained trying to board a flight out of Monrovia
- Part of wider crackdown; three foreign nationals also charged in absentia
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Liberia has spent recent years trying to shake off a reputation as a transit point for cocaine moving from South America to Europe through West Africa, and the authorities have made a series of high-profile drug seizures in the past few months. This case is part of that wider crackdown, and it has now reached one of the country's most senior former politicians.
Jewel Howard-Taylor served as Liberia's vice president from 2018 to 2024, under President George Weah, and is also a long-standing figure in Liberian politics in her own right, having previously been a senator. She is now accused of involvement in importing, selling and transporting illegal drugs, as well as money laundering, and is said to have helped facilitate a trafficking network that also involves several foreign nationals facing charges.
The case matters both because of Howard-Taylor's prominence and because it tests President Joseph Boakai's promise to tackle corruption and stop Liberia becoming a hub for international drug trafficking. How the authorities handle the prosecution of such a senior former official will be seen as a signal of how seriously that pledge is being pursued.