Jewel Howard-Taylor, who served as Liberia's vice president from 2018 to 2024, has been charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, and related offences as part of an investigation into an alleged international narcotics network. She was intercepted at Roberts International Airport while attempting to leave the country, and three foreign nationals — two Croatian and one Ukrainian — have also been charged in absentia. The case is a significant development for Liberia, a West African nation that has become a focus of efforts to disrupt cocaine trafficking routes connecting South America to European markets.