Maduro indicted in New York – US attorney general
The charges include narcotics trafficking and weapons possession, Pam Bondi has said
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been indicted in New York on several charges related to drug trafficking and weapons possession, US Attorney General Pam Bondi has said.
On Saturday, the US military conducted strikes on Venezuela. President Donald Trump later announced that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured and flown out of the country. Caracas has denounced the strikes as “grave military aggression.”
In a statement on X, Bondi said Maduro and his spouse had been indicted in the Southern District of New York and 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.”
Maduro and his wife have yet to deliver their pleas.
READ MORE: Maduro charged in US with ‘narco-terrorism conspiracy’: Live Updates
The US has long accused Maduro of links with drug cartels and helping to flood America with narcotics while refusing to recognize him as a legitimate leader and putting a $50 million bounty on information leading to his arrest and conviction. The Venezuelan president has vehemently denied the accusations, arguing that Washington has been using them as a pretext for military aggression and in order to topple his government.
Russia has condemned the US strikes as an act of “armed aggression” and warned against further escalation. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas recalled that Brussels “has repeatedly stated that Mr. Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition” while urging all parties to exercise restraint.