The United States has charged Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with cocaine trafficking and other serious offences, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced on Saturday.
In a statement posted on her official social media page, Ms Bondi said “Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York.”
She added that “Nicolas 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,” stating that the couple “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
The development follows an announcement earlier on Saturday by former U.S. President Donald Trump that Mr Maduro had been captured by U.S. forces. “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The charges come months after the U.S. government declared Mr Maduro wanted for drug trafficking into the United States and offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest.