Former Liberian Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor was arrested at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia on Wednesday over her alleged involvement in international drug trafficking.
The Justice Ministry announced that the 63-year-old former vice president was taken to general police headquarters after being detained while attempting to leave the West African nation. She has been formally charged with the importation and sale of illegal drugs in connection with an ongoing investigation into a smuggling ring operating both inside and outside Liberia.
Authorities are also searching for three foreign nationals charged with the same offense as part of the probe. According to the ministry statement released on Wednesday, the wanted suspects include two Croatian citizens and one Ukrainian citizen.
Political career and background
Howard Taylor served as vice president of Liberia from 2018 to 2024, taking office alongside former international football star George Weah following his presidential election victory. Prior to her tenure in the executive branch, she served as an influential member of the Liberian Senate representing Bong County from 2006 to 2018.
She was previously married to Charles Taylor, who served as president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003. Charles Taylor, a former warlord who led a rebel faction during the First Liberian Civil War, was later convicted of war crimes by a United Nations tribunal for atrocities committed in neighboring Sierra Leone.
Record cocaine seizures
The arrest follows the largest drug seizure in Liberia's history, during which law enforcement agents confiscated nearly four tons of cocaine. The shipment, valued at an estimated $317 million (€276 million), was intercepted during a security operation along a road leading directly to Roberts International Airport, located approximately 30 kilometers outside Monrovia.
The operation is part of a broader crackdown on narcotics smuggling through key transit points. On June 7, authorities seized 237.6 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated value of $19 million, which had been hidden inside export cargo bound for the same airport.
Government crackdown on trafficking
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has made combating drug trafficking a major priority for his administration. In late July, President Boakai dismissed more than ten public officials and ordered formal investigations into their actions following the series of major drug seizures across the nation.
On August 10, following a high-level security meeting dedicated to reviewing recent drug interceptions, President Boakai appointed a new director to lead the Liberian Drug Enforcement Agency. Although the appointment awaits formal confirmation by the Liberian Senate, the official assumed executive duties immediately.
