MONROVIA — Former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor says she has been told she is under arrest, according to a message she sent as the situation continued to develop Wednesday.
“They have just said I am under arrest,” Taylor said in the message. This claim has not yet been independently confirmed by police or judicial officials, and this remains a developing story.
The claim comes hours after Taylor was stopped en route to Roberts International Airport, where she had been due to fly to Accra, Ghana, for a women’s program. In an earlier statement, Taylor said:
“I was on my way to the airport to take part in a women’s program when I was informed that I am not allowed to leave the country. Five cars of riot police. They haven’t told me anything. I have been asked to report to the police station. I am on my way there now.”
Taylor said the travel restriction came on the order of the Inspector General, though authorities had not, at that stage, given her a reason.
She later appeared at Liberia National Police headquarters for questioning in connection with the country’s ongoing cocaine-trafficking investigation — a probe that has widened in recent weeks following the seizure of an estimated $336 million worth of narcotics, described by authorities as the largest drug bust in Liberia’s history. Police had identified her as a “person of interest,” and her appearance for questioning did not, by itself, mean she had been accused of or charged with any offense.
NPP National Chairman George Mulbah has called for calm as the party’s standard bearer remains at the center of the investigation.
What she could be charged with
Under Liberia’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act of 2023, which amended Chapter 14 of the Penal Code, several provisions could come into play depending on what, if any, charges are ultimately filed:
- §14.83, Unlicensed importation of controlled drugs or substances — makes it an offense to purposely or knowingly import into Liberia any controlled drug or substance listed under the Act without a license from the Minister of Health.
- §14.85, Unlicensed sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution, dispatch in transit, and transportation of controlled drug or substance — covers selling, offering for sale, trading, delivering, distributing, dispatching in transit, transporting, or brokering transactions involving a controlled drug or substance without a license.
- §14.93, Illicit trafficking — makes it an offense for a person to purposely or knowingly traffic controlled drugs or substances without a license from the Minister.
Under the Act’s grading provisions, offenses involving Schedule I drugs used for trafficking are treated as first-degree felonies, punishable by ten to twenty years’ imprisonment, and are classified as “grave” offenses that are not bailable. Offenses involving Schedule II, III, or IV substances used for trafficking are treated as second-degree felonies, punishable by three to five years or more, with bail available only in cash or an equivalent bank-certified deposit.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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