NEWS
Former Liberian Vice President, Jewel Howard Taylor Charged in Major $317m Cocaine Trafficking Investigation
Liberia’s former Vice President, Jewel Howard Taylor, has been charged with drug trafficking, money laundering and several other offences as authorities intensify investigations into an alleged transnational narcotics network believed to involve powerful figures and international connections.
Howard Taylor, 63, was reportedly detained on Wednesday at the Roberts International Airport in Monrovia while attempting to board an international flight, according to confirmation from the country’s Justice Ministry.
Her arrest marks a dramatic development in a widening investigation into an alleged drug trafficking operation linked to the seizure of cocaine valued at approximately $317 million.
Liberia’s Police Chief, Gregory Coleman, reportedly linked the former vice president to the massive cocaine seizure, raising the stakes in a case that has sent shockwaves through the country’s political and security circles.
Howard Taylor has not publicly commented on the allegations. Her lawyer, however, told journalists that she could not make any comment on the matter until her client was formally charged before a court.
The former vice president was previously married to former Liberian President Charles Taylor, a figure whose name remains prominent in Liberia’s political history.
As the investigation gathers momentum, authorities have also filed charges in absentia against three foreign nationals: two Croatians and one Ukrainian over their alleged connections to the suspected international drug network.
Justice Minister Oswald Tweh said the Liberian government would deploy both domestic and international measures to locate and arrest the three suspects, signalling that the investigation could stretch beyond Liberia’s borders.
Authorities are now widening the scope of the probe to include senior security figures as investigators seek to uncover the full structure of the alleged criminal network. The investigation is expected to focus on identifying suspected traffickers, financiers, organisers and individuals accused of providing protection for the operation.
The Liberian government has vowed that status, political influence or foreign nationality will not shield anyone found to be connected to the alleged narcotics network.
“No office is too high, no political connection is too powerful, no nationality provides immunity, and no individual is beyond the reach of the law,“ the government said.