–in Drug Case
By Jerromie S. Walters
MONTSERRADO COUNTY, LIBERIA — The First Judicial Circuit, Criminal Court “C” in Montserrado County has formally indicted former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor and nineteen others on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, criminal conspiracy, and weapons-related offenses. The court handed down the indictment on October 7, 2026, under Assigned Circuit Judge Ousman F. Feika.
The indictment names Taylor alongside former National Security Agency (NSA) official Gerald Foley Smith and former Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA) Deputy Director Mark Quiah, among others. The charges represent one of the most significant legal actions against a former high-ranking official in Liberia’s recent history.
The writ of arrest names twenty individuals, including both Liberian nationals and foreign citizens from Ukraine, Croatia, and other nations:
- Nikola Ivancic (a.k.a. Nikolas Ivancic), a foreign national
- Taras Zadereiko (a.k.a. Tony), a Ukrainian national
- Mihovil Vrovac (a.k.a. Michael), a Croatian national
- Srdan Seles, a foreign national
- John David Garces, a foreign national
- Sheik Bashiru Kante
- Gerald Foley Smith, former Deputy Director for Administration, NSA
- Edison M. Brown
- Mohammed Alpha Bah
- Jammel V. Jallah
- Christian L. Nyantee
- Christopher Saryeecee
- Cayce L. Nelson
- DCP Anthony T. Blaye
- ACP Wadell W. Kwarbo
- Albenigo Janior
- Jewel Howard Taylor, former Vice President of Liberia
- Mark Quiah, former Deputy Director for Operations, LCAA
- Sekou Nana
- Others to be identified
The Charges
Prosecutors are pursuing eleven counts against the defendants:
- Unlicensed Possession of Controlled Drugs or Substances
- Unlicensed Importation of Controlled Drugs/Substances
- Unlicensed Exportation of Controlled Drugs/Substances
- Unlicensed Sale, Trading, Administration, Dispensation, Delivery, Distribution, Dispatch in Transit, and Transportation of Controlled Drugs/Substances
- Illicit Trafficking
- Criminal Conspiracy
- Criminal Facilitation
- Criminal Solicitation
- Money Laundering
- Possession and Sale of Physical Objects for Lethal Use
- Physical Objects for Lethal Use
A Grand Jury duly selected and empaneled for Montserrado County prepared the indictment. The writ of arrest commands Major Austine Seinavula, Sheriff of Montserrado County, or his deputy, to arrest the named defendants and bring them before the court to answer to the charges. J. Amos F. Gbowah, Clerk of Court for Criminal Court “C,” signed the document and affixed the court’s seal on October 7, 2026. The court will sit in its August Term, A.D. 2026.
