Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, on Aug. 17, 2024.
Alfredo Lasry R/Getty Photos
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Alfredo Lasry R/Getty Photos
Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, face a raft of fees in america following President Trump’s announcement early Saturday that the U.S. attacked Caracas and took them into custody.
Maduro, Flores and senior Venezuelan officers face fees associated to alleged “drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies,” in keeping with an unsealed indictment posted on social media Saturday by U.S. Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi.
The indictment alleges that, beginning in 1999, the defendants partnered with worldwide drug trafficking organizations to finally transport hundreds of tons of cocaine into america.
Maduro and his spouse “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Bondi wrote in an earlier submit on X.
Nicolas Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, have been indicted within the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Damaging Units, and Conspiracy to Possess…
— Legal professional Normal Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 3, 2026
The brand new indictment provides to fees from the primary Trump administration, when the U.S. Justice Division introduced a federal indictment in opposition to Maduro in March 2020.
That indictment alleged that Maduro was the chief of the Cartel de los Soles, and that he and different defendants took half in a narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Colombian guerrilla group often known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Prosecutors mentioned that the Cartel de los Soles was made up of high-ranking Venezuelan officers who abused the Venezuelan folks and corrupted the nation’s establishments to import giant portions of cocaine into america.
In response to the 2020 indictment, Maduro helped handle and finally lead the Cartel de los Soles, which sought to get wealthy and flood the U.S. with cocaine, allegedly utilizing the drug as a weapon in opposition to america.
Prosecutors mentioned that Maduro helped negotiate multi-ton shipments of cocaine, and directed the Cartel de los Soles to supply military-grade weapons to FARC.
He additionally allegedly coordinated international affairs with Honduras and others to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking.
The present Trump administration has ramped up the strain over the previous 12 months. In November 2025, the U.S. designated the Cartel de los Soles as a international terrorist group.
The brand new indictment launched Saturday reiterates these fees and likewise alleges that Maduro “partnered” with organizations together with the Sinaloa Cartel, the Zetas and Tren de Aragua.
Individually, the Worldwide Prison Courtroom has been investigating the Venezuelan authorities for alleged torture, sexual violence and arbitrary detentions.
It is a creating story, which can be up to date.
