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Former Liberian Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has been remanded in prison pending trial over allegations that she was involved in an international drug trafficking network connected to the country’s largest-ever narcotics seizure.
Howard-Taylor, who is also the former wife of ex-president and rebel leader Charles Taylor, was charged last Wednesday with eight offences linked to the alleged trafficking network.
She was taken to Monrovia Central Prison after appearing in court earlier on Tuesday. Her detention is part of the standard pre-trial process for offences of this nature.
The case comes as Liberia intensifies its crackdown on drug trafficking following a series of major cocaine seizures in recent months.
Howard-Taylor served as vice president under former President George Weah from 2018 to 2024 and previously represented Bong County as a senator from 2006 to 2018.
Liberia’s Justice Minister said last week that Howard-Taylor had been arrested at Roberts International Airport, near the capital, Monrovia.
According to a statement from the ministry, she was “formally charged in connection with an ongoing investigation into an alleged transnational narcotics trafficking network operating within and beyond the republic of Liberia.”
The allegations include unlicensed importation, unlicensed sale, trading and administration, as well as illicit drug trafficking.
Three other suspects, including two Croatian nationals and a Ukrainian, were also charged in connection with the case in absentia, according to the Justice Ministry.
Howard-Taylor’s lawyers had appealed for her to remain out of custody while awaiting trial, citing her asthma. The court rejected the request, saying only the Attorney General has the authority to grant compassionate leave.
The case has also reignited concerns over alleged links between drug trafficking and officials within Liberia’s political and security establishment.
The opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC) on Tuesday urged President Joseph Boakai’s administration to broaden its investigation and avoid selectively targeting opposition figures.
The party said it was “deeply concerned by the perception that the government is eager to target individuals associated with the former Congress for Democratic Change (CDC),” the party Howard-Taylor belongs to.
It also said “questions surrounding the involvement of individuals connected to the current Unity Party (UP) administration remain unanswered”.
Boakai launched an investigation into Liberia’s drug networks in June and pledged to “expose and destroy” them after authorities seized 237.6 kilogrammes of cocaine at the country’s main international airport.
The cocaine had reportedly been concealed among ordinary commercial goods, including Maggi seasoning cubes.
Liberia is located along a major West African route used to move cocaine from Latin America towards European markets, according to monitoring organisations.
Howard-Taylor’s former husband, Charles Taylor, is serving a 50-year prison sentence in the United Kingdom after being convicted of war crimes linked to his support for rebel groups during Sierra Leone’s civil war.
His conviction, however, was based on his role in supporting the rebels and did not cover allegations of child soldier recruitment, killings, rape and looting attributed to him in Liberia.
