Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been charged in the U.S. with drug-related offenses, and they “will soon face the full force of American justice on American soil,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated on Saturday, according to LETA citing DPA.
“Maduro is charged with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of automatic weapons and means of destruction, as well as conspiracy to possess such means against the United States,” Bondi wrote on Saturday on the X platform, specifying that the charges were filed in New York.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on X that “Maduro is not the president of Venezuela, and his regime is an illegitimate government.”
“Maduro is the head of the 'Los Soles' cartel, which is a narco-terrorist organization,” Rubio emphasized.
He also confirmed that Maduro “is charged with importing drugs into the United States.”
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Maduro and his wife were “captured” after the U.S. conducted airstrikes on several targets in Venezuela.
The U.S. armed forces have intensified actions against potential drug smuggling vessels. On Friday, Venezuela stated that it was ready to negotiate with the U.S. on an agreement to combat drug trafficking.
In an interview aired on Thursday, Maduro stated that the U.S. is trying to force Venezuela to change its government and gain access to its vast oil reserves, using a months-long pressure campaign that began in August with a large deployment of military forces in the Caribbean.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded that the U.S. immediately provide evidence that the detained head of state is alive.
“We do not know where President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are,” Rodriguez stated.
In a televised address, she also reported that as a result of the U.S. airstrikes, both Venezuelan soldiers and civilians were killed.
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