In an unprecedented and audacious military operation, United States special forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas and transported them to face justice in America. The stunning raid, which took place in the early hours of Saturday, marks a dramatic escalation in Washington's long-standing campaign against the socialist leader.
Unsealed Indictment Details Grave Accusations
The operation followed the unsealing of a detailed indictment from the US Justice Department, which accuses Maduro of presiding over a "corrupt, illegitimate government" fundamentally sustained by a vast drug-trafficking enterprise. Prosecutors allege this operation deliberately flooded the United States with thousands of tons of cocaine.
Maduro now faces four serious charges in a Manhattan federal court: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess those weapons. His wife, Cilia Flores, along with his son and three others, are also charged in the newly revealed documents.
A Network of Corruption and Violence
The indictment paints a picture of a state captured by narcotics interests. It claims Maduro partnered with "some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world," including Mexico's Sinaloa cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang. In exchange for providing law enforcement cover and logistical support, high-ranking Venezuelan officials allegedly received profits.
Authorities estimate that by 2020, as much as 250 tons of cocaine were being trafficked through Venezuela annually, using go-fast boats, container ships, and planes from clandestine airstrips. The document further accuses the couple of ordering kidnappings, beatings, and murders to protect their operation, including the killing of a Caracas-based drug boss.
Family Ties to the Trade
The charges against Cilia Flores are particularly detailed. She is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to facilitate a meeting between a major trafficker and Venezuela's anti-drug chief. A corrupt deal was allegedly struck where monthly bribes and payments per cocaine flight were made, with a portion funneled to Flores.
In a separate incident, her nephews were recorded in 2015 discussing sending "multi-hundred-kilogram cocaine shipments" from the presidential hangar at a Venezuelan airport. Both were previously convicted in the US and released in a 2022 prisoner swap.
The stage is now set for a monumental legal and political battle. Maduro and his wife were shown in a video posted by a White House account being escorted by federal agents in New York. They are expected to be held at a federal jail in Brooklyn awaiting trial, which will scrutinise not just the leader but the alleged criminalisation of the Venezuelan state under his rule.
