Former Liberian Vice‑President Charged with Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering

Liberia has charged former Vice‑President Jewel Howard‑Taylor—who served from 2018 to 2024—with drug trafficking, money laundering and related offences, the justice ministry confirmed today.

Howard‑Taylor was detained at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia before boarding a flight and has yet to comment publicly on the accusations.

The investigation alleges that she illegally imported, sold and transported controlled drugs and facilitated a trans‑national drug network. Three foreign nationals—two Croatians and one Ukrainian—have been named in absentia as part of the same network.

This case is part of a broader crackdown by West African governments on cocaine trafficking, which has turned the region into a major transit corridor from South America to Europe.