Former Liberian Vice President Faces Drug Trafficking Charges

Justice officials in Liberia have charged former Vice President Jewel Howard‑Taylor with drug trafficking, money laundering and several other offenses.

Howard‑Taylor, who served as Vice President from 2018 to 2024, was detained at Roberts International Airport before a flight out of Monrovia. She was taken to the national police headquarters and has not made any public comments since.

Authorities allege that she illegally imported, sold and transported controlled drugs and helped facilitate a wider trafficking network. Police are pursuing three foreign suspects—two Croatians and one Ukrainian—charged in absentia as part of the probe.

“Liberia is determined to dismantle all facets of the drug‑trafficking network,” the Justice Ministry said. Recent months have seen a spike in large seizures, the largest in the country’s history.

Howard‑Taylor’s role in former President George Weah’s six‑year administration was marked by allegations of corruption. When President Joseph Boakai took office, he promised a crackdown on corruption and warned that Liberia would not become a drug‑trafficking haven. West Africa is an increasingly important transit route for cocaine from South America to Europe.