New York — A new indictment from the US Department of Justice charges Arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Run by a “corrupt and illegitimate government” fueled by a massive drug trafficking operation that has flooded the United States with thousands of tons of cocaine.
arrested Maduro and his wife A stunning military operation early Saturday in Venezuela sets the stage for a major test for U.S. prosecutors as they seek to secure a conviction in a Manhattan courtroom against the longtime leader of the oil-rich South American nation.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and his wife “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
Here’s a look at the accusations against Maduro and the charges he faces.
Maduro faces charges along with his wife, son and three others. Maduro He is accused of four charges: Narcoterrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Maduro faces the same charges as in the case A previous indictment was brought against him In Manhattan federal court in 2020, during Trump’s first presidency. The new indictment, unsealed on Saturday, which adds charges against Maduro’s wife, was filed under seal in the Southern District of New York just before Christmas.
It was not immediately clear when Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, would make their first appearance in court in Manhattan. A video clip posted by a White House account on Saturday evening on social media showed Maduro smiling, while he was escorted by two federal agents through the US Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York, holding his arms. He was expected to be held while awaiting trial in a federal prison in Brooklyn.
The indictment accuses Maduro of partnering with “some of the world’s most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists” to allow thousands of tons of cocaine to be shipped to the United States. Authorities allege that powerful and violent drug trafficking organizations, such as the Sinaloa cartel and the Tren de Aragua cartel, worked directly with the Venezuelan government and then sent the profits to high-ranking officials who helped and protected them in return.
The indictment alleges that Maduro allowed “cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of members of his family.”
US authorities allege that Maduro and his family “provided law enforcement cover and logistical support” to drug cartels moving drugs throughout the region, resulting in up to 250 tons of cocaine being smuggled through Venezuela annually by 2020, according to the indictment. The indictment says the drugs were transported on speedboats, fishing boats, container ships or on planes from secret airstrips.
“This cycle of drug-based corruption lines the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who help produce, protect, and transport tons of cocaine to the United States,” the indictment says.
The United States accuses Maduro and his wife of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders “against those who owe them drug money or who undermine their drug trafficking operation.” This includes the killing of a local drug lord in Caracas, according to the indictment.
Maduro’s wife is also accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between a “major drug trafficker” and the director of Venezuela’s National Narcotics Control Office. In a corrupt deal, the drug trafficker then agreed to pay a monthly bribe to the director of the Narcotics Control Bureau as well as about $100,000 for each trip carrying cocaine “to ensure the safe passage of the trip.” Some of that money then went to Maduro’s wife, the indictment says.
Maduro’s step-nephews were heard during recorded meetings with confidential US government sources in 2015, in which they agreed to send “cocaine shipments amounting to hundreds of kilograms” from Maduro’s “presidential hangar” at a Venezuelan airport. The indictment alleges that the nephews made it clear during recorded meetings “that they were at war with the United States.” They were sentenced in 2017 to 18 years in prison for conspiring to send tons of cocaine to the United States before being released in 2022. As part of a prisoner exchange In exchange for seven American prisoners.
During a press conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kaine described the military raid that arrested Maduro and his wife as an action carried out on behalf of the Justice Department. Kane said the operation was carried out “at the request of the Department of Justice.”
While responding to a question about whether Congress had been notified, Rubio said the US raid to arrest the couple was “essentially a law enforcement function,” adding that it was a case in which “the War Department supported the Justice Department.” He described Maduro as a “fugitive from American justice.” With a $50 million bounty over his head.
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Richer reported from Washington.