Days after the Ministry of Justice indicted former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor and other suspects over the alleged 317-kilogram cocaine trafficking case, the Government of Liberia has ordered the arrest of five additional defendants linked to the investigation.
The five are Gerald Foley Smith, former Deputy Director for Administration of the National Security Agency; Christian L. Nyantee; Jammel V. Jallah; Cayce L. Nelson; and Albenigo Janior. Criminal Court “C” of the First Judicial Circuit, Montserrado County, ordered the arrests through a writ issued on October 7, 2026, by Assigned Circuit Judge Ousman F. Feika.
The court instructed the Montserrado County Sheriff, Major Austine Seinavula, or his deputy to arrest the defendants and bring them before the court to answer the charges contained in the indictment.
The broader indictment names 17 defendants, including Taylor, foreign nationals Nikola Ivancic, Taras Zadereiko, Mihovil Vrovac, Srdan Seles and John David Garces, as well as Sheik Bashiru Kante and other Liberian nationals.
The defendants face 11 charges, including unlicensed possession, importation, exportation, sale and transportation of controlled substances; illicit trafficking; criminal conspiracy, facilitation and solicitation; money laundering; and offenses involving physical objects for lethal use.
The latest arrests signal that the government’s investigation into the alleged international cocaine-trafficking network remains ongoing, with prosecutors continuing to bring additional suspects before the court. All of the allegations remain subject to judicial determination, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
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