The United States has released unsealed court documents indicting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for cocaine trafficking and related federal crimes, following his arrest by U.S. special forces in Caracas on Saturday. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi published the “UNSEALED INDICTMENT” on X, alleging decades of institutional corruption used to facilitate a major cocaine pipeline into America. “For over 25 years, leaders of Venezuela have abused their positions of public trust and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States,” the document reads, further claiming that “NICOLAS MADURO MOROS… partnered with his co-conspirators… to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States.”
Bondi confirmed multiple charges, including “Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States,” adding that Maduro and his wife “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.” U.S. President Donald Trump, who earlier declared Maduro wanted with a $50 million reward in August 2025, announced on Truth Social that U.S. forces had “successfully carried out a large scale strike” and that Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country.” The Venezuelan government and Russia’s foreign ministry have condemned the arrest and military incursion, while Moscow and Caracas describe the operation as a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty.