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The United States government has taken an unprecedented step in the fight against drug trafficking and transnational corruption by filing a federal indictment in the District Court of New York against the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, his wife Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, and other high-ranking officials in his circle for their alleged involvement in a vast conspiracy of cocaine trafficking, institutional corruption, and links to terrorist organizations dedicated to drug trafficking.
The indictment presented by a grand jury in the Southern District of New York details how, from the late 1990s to the present, the defendants allegedly exploited their public positions to protect and coordinate the transit of thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States, collaborating with narcoterrorist organizations such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Venezuelan organization Tren de Aragua.
According to the legal indictment document, Maduro Moros allegedly corrupted Venezuelan state institutions to establish a protection system for drug trafficking, using diplomacy, military power, and government structure to facilitate drug shipments, ensure logistical support, and even issue diplomatic passports to smugglers.
Similarly, Cilia Flores, who has held high legislative positions in Venezuela, is implicated in the corruption and drug trafficking structure linked to the regime, further deepening the scope of the accusations that were already against her in prior U.S. justice investigations.
Among the other accused are Diosdado Cabello Rondón, president of the National Assembly and one of the most powerful leaders of chavismo, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín, former Minister of the Interior, and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as “Niño Guerrero”, identified as the leader of the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua.
The Department of Justice maintains that these activities would not only have involved the massive shipment of cocaine to the United States, but also entail a criminal partnership with groups that have been designated as terrorists or narcoterrorists by U.S. authorities, which raises the severity of the charges beyond simple traditional drug trafficking.
The presentation of this accusation occurs against a backdrop of escalating tension between Washington and Caracas.
The U.S. Government has designated the so-called “Cartel of the Suns” —the name used to identify the criminal network allegedly led by Maduro and other high-ranking officials— as a foreign terrorist organization, strengthening legal tools to combat those accused on various fronts.
Although in recent years U.S. authorities had already issued charges and rewards for information leading to the capture of Maduro and others involved, the formal presentation of this indictment expands and updates the allegations, covering decades of alleged abuse of power, criminal association, and drug trafficking with hemispheric ramifications.
U.S. authorities have stated that they will continue to utilize all resources of the legal and diplomatic system to enforce this accusation, although they have not yet specified concrete measures for the extradition or detention of those charged.
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