Former Liberian Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor imprisoned ahead of drug trafficking trial
Former Liberian vice president Jewel Howard-Taylor has been placed in pre-trial detention at Monrovia Central Prison. This follows her charging last Wednesday in connection with an alleged international drug trafficking network, linked to the largest narcotics bust in Liberia's history. Howard-Taylor, who served as vice president from 2018 to 2024 under president George Weah, faces eight counts, including unlicensed importation, sale, trading, administration, and illicit trafficking of drugs. Her detention is standard procedure for such charges. The charges are part of a government crackdown on drug trafficking, which includes the seizure of four tonnes of cocaine valued at $317 million in July, to which she has been linked. Three other individuals, two Croatians and a Ukrainian, have also been charged in absentia in the same case. A request by Howard-Taylor's lawyers for her not to be detained due to asthma was denied by the court. The opposition Alternative National Congress party has expressed concern that the government's crackdown is targeting figures associated with the former ruling party, the Congress for Democratic Change, while questions about individuals connected to the current Unity Party administration remain unanswered.
