Maduro accused of 25 years of narco-terrorism crimes by DOJ

Bob Van Voris, Myles Miller, Bloomberg News on Jan 3, 2026

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The U.S. Department of Justice on Saturday accused Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro of playing a key role in a broad conspiracy over 25 years to traffic cocaine into the U.S. with the help of regional drug and terrorist groups.

The indictment was made public by the DOJ after Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were removed from Venezuela as a series of airstrikes hit Caracas early Saturday. President Donald Trump said Maduro was on a U.S. ship and being taken to New York.

Maduro is being transported to New York City where he’ll be held at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn — the same facility that once held Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, according to a person familiar with the matter. He’s expected to make his first court appearance on Monday, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing logistics.

The indictment charges Maduro and his alleged co-conspirators with partnering with groups including the Sinaloa Cartel and Tren de Aragua — all of which have been designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations.

If convicted of the charges, Maduro could spend the rest of his life behind bars based on sentencing guidelines.

Maduro was initially charged by the U.S. in 2020 and officials set a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest. The indictment released on Saturday updates the charges and adds new defendants, including Maduro’s wife and son.

Maduro has denied being involved in the drug trade.

Here are the charges in the indictment:

Count One: Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy

—Maduro and two other defendants allegedly agreed to distribute at least 5 kilograms of cocaine and intended to benefit designated terrorist groups, including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel.

Count Two: Cocaine Importation Conspiracy

—Maduro and five other defendants allegedly agreed to smuggle illegal drugs into the U.S.

Count Three: Possession of Machine Guns and Destructive Devices

—Maduro and five other defendants allegedly used and possessed machine guns as part of the narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracies.

Count 4: Conspiracy to Possess Machine Guns and Destructive Devices

—Maduro and five other defendants allegedly agreed to use and possess machine guns as part of the narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracies.

Some key allegations in the indictment:

The indictment traces Maduro’s alleged involvement through offices he held in Venezuelan government between 1999 and 2025.

—As a member of Venezuela’s National Assembly between 2000 and 2006, he “moved loads of cocaine under the protection of Venezuelan law enforcement,” according to prosecutors.

—As Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2006 and 2013, Maduro allegedly “provided Venezuelan diplomatic passports to drug traffickers and facilitated diplomatic cover for planes used by money launderers to repatriate drug proceeds from Mexico to Venezuela,” according to the indictment.

—By 2020, the State Department estimated that between 200 and 250 tons of cocaine were trafficked through Venezuela annually, according to the indictment.

—As Venezuela’s leader, prosecutors allege, Maduro allowed “cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members.”

In addition to Maduro, the indictment charges his wife and son Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, known as “Nicolasito” or “The Prince.” Diosdado Cabello Rondón, the Minister of the Interior for Justice and Peace, is also a defendant, as well as Venezuelan politician Ramón Rodríguez Chacín and Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the alleged leader of Tren de Aragua.

—Between 2004 and 2015, Maduro and Flores de Maduro “worked together to traffic cocaine, much of which had been previously seized by Venezuelan law enforcement, with the assistance of armed military escorts,” the indictment states.

—During this time, they “maintained their own groups of state-sponsored gangs known as colectivos to facilitate and protect their drug trafficking operation” and “ordered kidnappings, beatings, and murders against those who owed them drug money or otherwise undermined their drug trafficking operation,” according to the indictment.

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The case is US v. Maduro, 11-cr-00205, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan)