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Former Liberian Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor faces drug trafficking and money laundering charges

Liberia has charged former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor with drug trafficking, money laundering, and several other offenses as part of an investigation into a transnational narcotics network. The 63-year-old politician was detained at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia while attempting to leave the country and was taken into custody by the Liberia National Police. Jewel Howard-Taylor served as vice president from 2018 to 2024. She is the wife of former President Charles Taylor, who was convicted by an international court for war crimes. The charges against Jewel Howard-Taylor include unlicensed importation, sale, distribution, and transportation of controlled substances, as well as criminal solicitation and criminal conspiracy. The justice ministry stated that the investigation follows Liberia's largest-ever drug seizure, which involved tons of cocaine worth approximately $336 million. While the former vice president is in custody, authorities have also charged three foreign nationals in absentia for their roles in the same narcotics network. The government aims to be thorough in its prosecution, stating that no political connection provides immunity from the law.

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