Former Liberian vice president charged in drug-trafficking probe

What the report says

Liberia has charged former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor in a drug-trafficking investigation, according to the country’s Justice Ministry. The BBC, as cited by Nile Post, reported that she faces allegations including drug trafficking, money laundering and other offences tied to controlled substances. Howard-Taylor served as vice president from 2018 to 2024 under former President George Weah.

Authorities detained Howard-Taylor at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia as she was preparing to leave the country, then took her to police headquarters. The public reporting says she has not yet commented on the accusations. Liberia’s police also charged three foreign nationals in absentia — two Croatians and one Ukrainian — whom investigators say may be linked to the same network.

The charges are part of a wider crackdown on transnational drug trafficking in Liberia, especially cocaine-related activity. Officials say they are targeting organisers, facilitators and financiers, and have carried out multiple recent seizures. The case comes amid broader regional concerns that West Africa is increasingly used as a transit route for cocaine moving from South America to Europe.

The allegations are significant because they involve a prominent former national leader and come as President Joseph Boakai has pledged to curb corruption and prevent Liberia from becoming a haven for drug trafficking.