Liberian authorities have brought a series of criminal allegations against former Vice-President Jewel Howard-Taylor in connection with an investigation into an alleged international cocaine trafficking operation.
The 63-year-old was taken into custody on Wednesday at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia, where she was stopped before boarding a flight, according to the Ministry of Justice.
National Police Chief Gregory Coleman has associated the former government official with a major cocaine seizure made last month.
The drugs, estimated to be worth about $317 million (£233 million), were among evidence uncovered during an expanding investigation.
Howard-Taylor has not publicly responded to the accusations.
Her attorney told the BBC that he was unable to discuss the matter until proceedings were formally brought before a court.
She entered public life following the departure from office of her former husband, Charles Taylor, who served as Liberia’s president from 1997 to 2003 after previously leading a rebel movement.
Charles Taylor was subsequently tried and convicted by a UN-backed tribunal for supporting rebel forces in Sierra Leone during that country’s 1991-2002 conflict.
The war claimed an estimated 50,000 lives.
Years later, former football star and Liberian President George Weah selected Jewel Howard-Taylor as his vice-presidential candidate.
She became deputy head of state when Weah assumed office in 2018 and remained in the position until 2024.
The former vice-president is accused of offences including bringing controlled substances into Liberia without authorisation, distributing and moving prohibited drugs, unlawful narcotics dealings, criminal solicitation and facilitating criminal activity.
Three foreign suspects, two Croatian nationals and a Ukrainian citizen, have also been charged in absentia.
Investigators allege that the three were connected to the same criminal enterprise.
Justice Minister Oswald Tweh said Liberia would work through national and international channels to track down the suspects and secure their arrest.
The investigation follows a series of major narcotics discoveries as Liberian authorities intensify efforts against cocaine smuggling.
Two significant seizures were recorded in June and July.
During the July operation, investigators recovered nearly four tonnes of cocaine reportedly destined for Europe.
Officials described the operation as the largest drug seizure in Liberia’s history and said it exposed an extensive international trafficking structure.
Authorities have since widened their inquiries to include senior members of the country’s security institutions.
The government says the investigation is not limited to individuals who physically moved the narcotics.
It is also examining alleged financiers, planners and persons suspected of providing protection or other assistance to the network.
The authorities have pledged that political influence, official positions or foreign nationality will not shield suspects from prosecution.
Liberia’s crackdown comes as West Africa continues to serve as an important corridor for cocaine shipments travelling from South America towards European markets.
Criminal groups have taken advantage of difficult-to-monitor borders and enforcement weaknesses across parts of the region.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong