MONROVIA — Liberian prosecutors expanded their investigation into an alleged transnational drug ring on Friday, days after charging associates of former vice president Jewel Howard-Taylor and a senior political figure, the Ministry of Justice said.

The government announced earlier this week that it had charged the former official in connection with a network accused of moving cocaine through West Africa toward Europe. Liberian authorities described the case as one of the largest narcotics investigations in the country's recent history.

Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency officials said they were coordinating with regional partners and international bodies, including the West African Economic and Monetary Union's law enforcement channels, to trace financial flows and identify additional suspects. Prosecutors indicated further arrests were possible.

The charges have intensified scrutiny of West Africa's role as a transit corridor for cocaine bound for European markets. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has repeatedly warned that trafficking through the region undermines fragile institutions and fuels corruption.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the case would proceed through Liberia's courts and that the government was committed to prosecuting those involved regardless of their standing.