United States Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has announced that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been formally indicted in the United States, marking a dramatic escalation in Washington’s long-running confrontation with Caracas.
According to Bondi, the indictment was handed down in the Southern District of New York and includes several serious criminal counts tied to drug trafficking and weapons offenses.
In a statement shared on US social media platform X on Saturday, Bondi said, “Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York.
“Nicholas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.”
The charges reflect long-standing US allegations that the Venezuelan leader used state power to facilitate international drug trafficking.
Bondi’s comments followed a startling announcement by President Donald Trump, who claimed that the United States had “successfully” carried out a “large scale strike” against Venezuela.
Trump further alleged that Maduro and his wife had been “captured and flown out of the country,” though no independent confirmation of the operation was immediately available.
The US Justice Department has for years accused Maduro of leading or benefiting from networks involved in cocaine trafficking, particularly through alleged collaboration with armed groups designated by Washington as terrorist organizations.
The latest indictment suggests US prosecutors are moving aggressively to pursue the case now that Maduro is purportedly in American custody.
Emphasizing the administration’s resolve, Bondi said, “They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
The announcement is expected to deepen geopolitical tensions in the region, with global attention now focused on how Venezuela’s allies respond and what legal steps will follow in the US courts.
