Former Liberian Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has been charged with drug trafficking, money laundering and other offences after she was detained at Roberts International Airport while preparing to leave the country.
Liberian authorities detained Howard-Taylor before she could board her flight and transferred her to the national police headquarters in Monrovia, where she remains as investigations into an alleged drug-trafficking network continue. She has not publicly commented on the charges against her.
The charges accuse Howard-Taylor of illegally importing, selling and transporting controlled drugs, as well as helping facilitate drug trafficking.
The former vice president served for six years under former President George Weah, whose administration ran from 2018 to 2024. Her arrest marks a major development in Liberia's ongoing crackdown on organised drug trafficking, particularly the movement of cocaine through the West African country.
Authorities have also charged three foreign nationals in absentia in connection with the investigation. The suspects, two Croatians and one Ukrainian, are accused of being part of the same network allegedly linked to Howard-Taylor.
Liberian police say they are pursuing the three foreigners and intend to dismantle the wider network by going after those involved at different levels, including organisers, facilitators and financiers.
The investigation comes as Liberia steps up efforts against transnational drug trafficking. In recent months, authorities have carried out several drug seizures, some of which officials described as among the largest in the country's history.
Howard-Taylor held a senior position in Weah's administration during his six years in office, a period that was also marked by allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement.
President Joseph Boakai took office in 2024 after campaigning on a pledge to tackle corruption and improve accountability in government.
Boakai has also warned against Liberia becoming a safe destination for drug traffickers as West Africa continues to serve as an important transit route for cocaine moving from South America towards Europe.
The latest case places a former senior government official at the centre of Liberia's widening campaign against the illegal drug trade, with authorities now pursuing both the alleged local and international links of the network.