These are the charges Maduro and his wife face following their capture

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are expected to face criminal charges in the U.S., U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Saturday.

Bondi vowed in a social media post that the couple will “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice formally charged Nicolás Maduro and other regime officials with drug trafficking and money laundering.

The accusation marked the beginning of tensions that culminated on Saturday with attacks in several parts of Caracas and the arrest of Maduro and his wife.

Prosecutors in Florida and New York, where the charges were filed, stated that since the late President Hugo Chávez took power in 1999, the Venezuelan government has been conspiring with the FARC to smuggle tons of cocaine into the United States.

Initially, the U.S. government offered a reward of $15 million for information leading to Maduro’s capture and $10 million for Diosdado Cabello.

In 2025, this reward increased to $50 million.

This Saturday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, was also indicted and that both were charged in the Southern District of New York.

“Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been formally charged in the Southern District of New York. Nicolás Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States. They will soon face the full weight of U.S. justice on American soil and in American courts. On behalf of the entire U.S. Department of Justice, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American people and a huge thank you to our brave military forces who carried out the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international drug traffickers,” wrote Bondi on X.

El Fiscal General de EEUU William Barr hizo el anuncio.

“I have a message for the top ranks of Chavismo: the party is coming to an end,” stated then-U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Ariana Fajardo Orshan, at a press conference.

La acusación será anunciada por William Barr, fiscal general.

Attorney General William Barr affirmed that since 1999, Maduro, along with other high-ranking Chavismo officials like Diosdado Cabello, president of the National Constituent Assembly (ANC), have been part of the “Cartel of the Suns,” named after the insignias worn by high-ranking Venezuelan military officers.

According to Barr, Maduro, as the “leader” of the Cartel of the Suns, and the other Venezuelan officials have collaborated with dissidents of FARC to smuggle approximately 250 tons of cocaine annually intño.