“NO OFFICE IS TOO HIGH”: LIBERIA CHARGES FORMER VP JEWEL HOWARD-TAYLOR IN MAJOR TRANSNATIONAL DRUG CASE

MONROVIA, Liberia :The Government of Liberia has formally charged former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor in connection with an alleged transnational narcotics trafficking network, in what officials described as a landmark move to confront organized crime at the highest levels. Howard-Taylor was stopped from departing at Roberts International Airport on Tuesday and taken to Liberia National Police headquarters after a review of evidence by the Joint National Security Investigative Team.

Attorney General and Minister of Justice Cllr. Oswald Tweh announced the charges in a formal statement, saying the action represents “a decisive stage in the Government’s determination to expose and dismantle this network from its roots.” He told members of the press that the investigation uncovered a criminal operation operating “within and beyond the Republic of Liberia” with links to foreign nationals and institutional actors.

Under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act of 2023, Howard-Taylor is charged with Unlicensed Importation of a Controlled Drug or Substance, Unlicensed Sale, Trading, Administration, Dispensation, Delivery, Distribution, Dispatch in Transit and Transportation of a Controlled Drug or Substance, and Illicit Trafficking of a Controlled Drug or Substance. Additional charges were filed under Chapter 10 of the Penal Law of Liberia* for Criminal Solicitation, Criminal Facilitation, and Criminal Conspiracy, as well as a count of Money Laundering under the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law.

The Ministry of Justice also announced charges in absentia against three alleged members and organizers of the same network: Nikolai Ivancic and Mihovil Vrlovac, both Croatian nationals, and Tara Zaderieko, a Ukrainian national. “The Ministry of Justice will pursue all lawful domestic and international measures necessary to locate, apprehend, and bring these defendants before the courts of the Republic of Liberia,” Cllr. Tweh said.

Former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency for Administration, Mr. Gerald Smith, has meanwhile been called in for questioning in connection with the same investigation. Officials said the probe will extend to every layer of the alleged enterprise. “We will identify and pursue its leadership, financiers, facilitators, transporters, operational coordinators, institutional protectors, and every person who knowingly assisted its activities,” the Attorney General stated.

Cllr. Tweh issued a direct warning that political status will offer no protection. “No office is too high, no political connection is too powerful, no nationality provides immunity, and no individual is beyond the reach of the law,” he said. He described transnational narcotics trafficking as “a direct attack upon our national security, public institutions, economy, and the future of Liberia’s young people,” and vowed that any organization attempting to corrupt officials or use Liberia as a transit corridor “will face the full and lawful authority of the Republic.”

The government said its focus is not limited to low-level arrests. “Our objective is to dismantle the entire criminal infrastructure its leadership, financing, logistics, protection arrangements, and international connections. We will follow the evidence across institutions, political boundaries, and national borders. There will be no selective justice, political protection, sacred cows, or compromise with organized criminality,” Tweh declared. He stressed that every person against whom credible and admissible evidence is established will be investigated and prosecuted “without fear, favor, or political consideration.”

The Ministry emphasized that the charges remain allegations. “The Government nevertheless emphasizes that criminal charges are accusations and do not constitute judgments of guilt. All defendants remain presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty before a court of competent jurisdiction. They are entitled to legal representation, due process, and all constitutional and statutory protections guaranteed under Liberian law,” the statement said.

Citing the sensitivity of the case, the Justice Ministry said it will withhold further operational details to avoid compromising the investigation or endangering witnesses. The public, political actors, and media were urged to avoid speculation and the publication of unverified information. “Let there be no misunderstanding: Liberia will not be surrendered to drug traffickers or those who enable them. We will uproot this network, sever its financial and institutional support, pursue its members wherever they may be found, and bring every culpable actor before the law,” Cllr. Tweh concluded.