NEW: Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro Indicted In New York Following Capture

Former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro was indicted on drug and weapons charges in the Southern District of New York on Saturday, just hours after he was captured in a surgical military operation after weeks of buildup.

In the early hours of the morning on Saturday, January 3, U.S. military forces executed a large-scale operation in Venezuela. The operation involved airstrikes on military targets in Caracas and a ground raid that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The couple was extracted from the country and transported to the United States, where they are set to face federal charges in the Southern District of New York.

President Donald Trump announced the operation on social media, stating that Maduro and Flores had been captured and flown out of Venezuela. Reports indicate that the raid involved elite units, including the U.S. Army’s Delta Force, with explosions reported at sites such as Fuerte Tiuna military complex and La Carlota airbase.

The operation years of U.S. pressure on the Venezuelan government, including sanctions and a reward program that had reached $50 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest. In recent months, President Donald Trump had ordered a massive military buildup in the region and launched a number of strikes on Venezuelan drug-trafficking vessels with links to the regime.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the latest indictment — which builds on previous drug-trafficking charges — in an X post Saturday morning.

“Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolás 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,” Bondi wrote. “They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” she added.

“On behalf of the entire U.S. Department of Justice, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American people and a huge thank you to our brave military forces who carried out the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international drug traffickers.”

Maduro meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014

The charges against Maduro stem from a superseding indictment originally unsealed in 2020, which accused him and several high-ranking Venezuelan officials of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). This conspiracy allegedly involved trafficking large quantities of cocaine into the United States over more than two decades, with the intent to distribute the drugs domestically.

The indictment describes Maduro as a leader of the Cartel de los Soles, a drug trafficking organization composed of Venezuelan military and government officials. It further alleges that participants provided protection for cocaine production and transit through Venezuela, receiving weapons and financial benefits in return.

The specific charges include narco-terrorism conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum of life imprisonment; conspiracy to import cocaine; possession of machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of the drug trafficking activities; and conspiracy to possess such weapons.

The 2020 indictment was based on investigations by the Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies, detailing efforts to introduce hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States annually.

Saturday’s proceedings include Flores in the indictment for the first time, on similar charges. Venezuelan officials reported losing contact with the couple during the operation and demanded proof of their status.

The case remains in the Southern District of New York, with an arraignment expected soon after the couple’s arrival aboard a military vessel.