In brief
Liberia’s justice ministry has charged former Vice‑President Jewel Howard‑Taylor with drug trafficking, money laundering and related offences. The 2024–2026 former official was seized at Monrovia’s Roberts International Airport before boarding a flight. Authorities allege she illegally imported, sold and transported controlled drugs while facilitating a larger trafficking network, and have also charged three foreign nationals involved in the same network. The case is part of a broader crackdown on cocaine trafficking that sees West Africa used as a transit route from South America to Europe.
Former Liberian Vice‑President Jewel Howard‑Taylor has been charged with drug trafficking, money laundering and other crimes as part of the country’s intensified fight against transnational drug trade.
The manhood used a high‑rank position during George Weah’s 2018‑2024 administration to allegedly facilitate the import, sale and transport of controlled substances, the ministry said on Monday.
Howard‑Taylor was detained at Monrovia’s Roberts International Airport before boarding a flight and has yet to comment publicly on the allegations.
Authorities also charged three foreign nationals—two Croatians and one Ukrainian—in absentia for participating in the same trafficking network. The case follows a series of anti‑corruption moves by President Joseph Boakai, who vowed to curb the influence of drug traffickers in Liberia.
West Africa has emerged as a major transit corridor for cocaine moving from South America to Europe, prompting the Liberian government to implement stricter enforcement and monitoring of ports and airports.
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