Former Liberia VP held in prison ahead of drug trial

Former Liberian Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor is now in pre-trial detention at Monrovia Central Prison as she awaits trial for alleged involvement in an international drug trafficking network. The charges stem from one of the largest narcotics busts in Liberia's history, with Howard-Taylor facing eight counts.

Howard-Taylor, who also served as the ex-wife of former rebel leader and president Charles Taylor, was formally charged last Wednesday. The charges include unlicensed importation, sale, trading, administration, and illicit trafficking of drugs. These accusations are part of a broader government crackdown on drug trafficking following several significant cocaine seizures in recent months, including four tonnes valued at $317 million in July, to which Howard-Taylor has been linked.

Serving as vice president from 2018 to 2024 and previously as an influential senator, Howard-Taylor was arrested last week at Roberts International Airport. Her lawyers requested she not be detained due to asthma, but the court denied this, stating only the attorney general can grant compassionate leave. The minister of justice stated she was charged in connection with an alleged transnational narcotics trafficking network operating within and beyond Liberia.

Accusations of complicity involving government and police officials have surfaced in recent drug cases. The opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC) party urged the current administration to cast a wider net, expressing concern over the perception that the government is targeting figures associated with the former Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Howard-Taylor's party. The ANC also raised questions about the involvement of individuals connected to the current Unity Party (UP) administration, led by President Joseph Boakai, who launched an investigation in June to "expose and destroy" drug networks after a major cocaine seizure.

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formally charged in connection with an ongoing investigation into an alleged transnational narcotics trafficking network operating within and beyond the republic of Liberia