Liberia’s former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor was remanded to prison on Tuesday after a court rejected her request to remain in hospital for medical treatment while awaiting trial on drug trafficking and related charges.

Howard-Taylor’s lawyers had asked the court to allow her to remain at a hospital in Monrovia, citing a medical emergency. Local media reported that she suffered an asthma attack and experienced high blood pressure while in police custody following her arrest.

The court nevertheless ordered her to be transferred to prison pending further proceedings.

Howard-Taylor, who served as Liberia’s vice president from 2018 to 2024, was arrested on Aug. 19 at Roberts International Airport as she was preparing to leave the country.

The former vice president is facing multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering, as part of a wider investigation into an alleged transnational narcotics trafficking network.

Three other foreign nationals have also been charged in absentia in connection with the investigation.

Prosecutors and investigators allege that Howard-Taylor had links to individuals involved in an international cocaine trafficking network. Investigators reportedly cite travel records, audio recordings, witness testimony and other evidence as supporting the allegations.

Howard-Taylor’s legal team has rejected the accusations, arguing that the charges are politically motivated.

The case has attracted considerable attention in Liberia because of Howard-Taylor’s former position as vice president and her marriage to former Liberian President Charles Taylor.

The arrest comes shortly after Liberian authorities seized and destroyed approximately 4.2 metric tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value of around $317 million.

The investigation into the seizure has reportedly implicated several senior police officials and has been linked by authorities to the wider alleged trafficking network under investigation.

The authorities have intensified efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating through Liberia, particularly those suspected of using the country as a transit point for cocaine shipments.

West Africa has increasingly become an important transit corridor for cocaine trafficked from South America towaFrd lucrative European markets.

Drug trafficking organizations have exploited the region’s porous borders, extensive coastlines and, in some countries, limited law-enforcement capacity to move narcotics through the region.

Liberian authorities have vowed to strengthen efforts against international drug trafficking as the investigation continues.

Howard-Taylor will remain in custody pending further court proceedings, while her defense team is expected to continue challenging the charges and seeking appropriate medical treatment for her reported health problems. (ILKHA)