U.S. prosecutors on the 3rd (local time) filed additional charges against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine trafficking, and weapons offenses. After a U.S. military operation secured the custody of President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, allegations of more than 25 years of "state-led drug crimes" will be fully addressed in a U.S. court.
According to the indictment released by the U.S. Department of Justice, prosecutors brought four felony counts against President Maduro: narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess weapons. Narco-terrorism conspiracy is a serious federal crime that applies beyond simple drug trafficking when funding is provided to terrorist organizations or drugs are used as a "weapon" against society. First lady Flores, the president's son, and senior Venezuelan officials were also included as defendants.
In the indictment, prosecutors alleged that Venezuela's leadership diverted public authority for private use for more than 25 years, systematically corrupting state institutions. Political and military elites colluding with drug organizations seized key government posts, resulting in tons of cocaine flowing into the United States over an extended period. Prosecutors characterized this as "not the acts of an individual criminal group, but a structure that could not be sustained without the involvement of state power."
According to the indictment, President Maduro and accomplices built a smuggling network after 1999 that divided roles with international drug organizations. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) handled cocaine production and control of precursors in Colombia's mountainous regions, while Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas managed the Central America routes and crossings over the Mexico-U.S. border. Venezuela's criminal group "Tren de Aragua" was responsible for transport and shipping in Venezuela's interior and along its coasts, according to the U.S. government's analysis.
Prosecutors referred to this criminal structure as the "Cartel of the Suns (Cartel de los Soles)." The term derives from the sun insignia on generals' rank badges, meaning the military, intelligence services, Foreign Ministry, and judiciary acted like a single protective net shielding drug organizations. Political and military elites provided protection and logistics to the drug groups and amassed vast wealth in return, prosecutors said.
Specific acts in which President Maduro directly participated were also included in the indictment. According to prosecutors, while serving as foreign minister from 2006 to 2008, he sold Venezuelan diplomatic passports to drug traffickers for money. The aim was to ensure diplomatic protection when moving drug funds from Mexico to Venezuela. Maduro is also accused of allowing charter flights claiming diplomatic status so private planes could be disguised as diplomatic flights and avoid customs and security screening.
Prosecutors also believe that President Maduro and first lady Flores together took part for years in redistributing cocaine seized by Venezuelan judicial authorities. Flores is accused of brokering meetings between drug traffickers and Venezuela's top anti-drug official and receiving a set amount every time a cocaine-laden aircraft took off, with part of the money delivered to her.
The indictment also included claims that key regime figures and family members were involved in drug trafficking. Prosecutors said Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello conspired between 2003 and 2011 to transport 5 to 20 tons of cocaine to the United States at a time using container ships.
Prosecutors argued that the president's son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, took part in transporting drugs from Margarita Island in 2014 to 2015 using a jet owned by the state oil company (PDVSA), and that armed soldiers were mobilized to load the aircraft during the process.
The indictment also mentioned a case in which President Maduro's nephews were caught in a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sting operation. In recordings, they referred to President Maduro as "father," said they were "at war with the United States," and indicated they sought to use drug revenue to sustain the regime and fund elections, according to reports. Prosecutors classified the crimes as "hostile acts" targeting the United States on that basis.
Prosecutors estimated that 200 to 250 tons of cocaine flowed annually into the United States via Venezuela, with cumulative volumes over decades reaching thousands of tons. Prosecutors emphasized state power's involvement, saying, "Such a scale is impossible for an individual or a single organization."
That the case was assigned to the Southern District of New York is also tied to this context. The Southern District of New York has specialized in international drug, terrorism, and financial crimes and has already secured indictments and convictions against numerous Venezuelan military and intelligence officials.
The new charges add to an existing indictment brought in Mar. 2020 during the first Donald Trump administration. At the time, President Maduro flatly denied the allegations and called for dialogue with the United States, but custody was secured through the latest military operation. Arrested at their residence, the presidential couple was taken to the Guantanamo base via the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and then flown to New York on a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) charter.