Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured early Saturday during a U.S. military operation in Caracas and transported to U.S. jurisdiction, President Donald Trump announced. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed both will face multiple federal criminal charges tied to long‑standing allegations of international drug trafficking and narco‑terrorism, AP news reported.
What Charges Are They Facing?
U.S. officials say Maduro and Flores are charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) under a superseding indictment that dates back to 2020. The charges reflect years of federal investigation into alleged criminal conduct involving Venezuela's political and military apparatus, known in justice filings as the "Cartel of the Suns.''
1. Narco‑Terrorism Conspiracy
Maduro is accused of directing or participating in a prolonged conspiracy to use the Venezuelan state to facilitate massive cocaine shipments into the United States. Prosecutors argue these activities were coordinated with foreign terrorist groups such as the FARC and other transnational criminal networks.
2. Cocaine Importation Conspiracy
The indictment alleges Maduro and associates conspired to import hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States. Federal law makes coordinating or facilitating international drug trafficking a grave felony that can result in decades of imprisonment.
3. Possession of Machine Guns and Destructive Devices
U.S. prosecutors also charge possession of machine guns and "destructive devices", a weapons offense tied to allegations the regime used military‑grade armaments in furtherance of its criminal enterprise.
4. Conspiracy to Possess Machine Guns and Destructive Devices Against the U.S.
This related count further alleges a coordinated plan to stockpile or deploy weapons in ways that threatened U.S. national security.
While much of the public reporting focuses on Maduro himself, Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that Flores has been indicted in the same case and will be prosecuted alongside him in New York federal court.
The "Cartel of the Suns" Explained
The Cartel of the Suns (Spanish: Cártel de los Soles) is the name of an alleged criminal network tied to senior Venezuelan military and government officials. The term refers to the sun-shaped insignia ("suns") worn on the uniforms of high-ranking Venezuelan officers, highlighting the group's reported roots inside the military.
U.S. prosecutors allege that members of this network used their official positions and state institutions to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking, corruption and coordination with armed groups over many years. According to U.S. court filings, the name "Cartel of the Suns" was used by the group itself and reflects both its leadership structure and its close connection to Venezuela's armed forces.
Legal and Diplomatic Significance
The indictment and promised prosecution of a sitting head of state, and his spouse, in the U.S. is unprecedented in modern history and poses complex legal and diplomatic questions. Federal narcotics and narco‑terrorism charges carry mandatory minimum sentences of decades to life imprisonment under U.S. law, depending on convictions.
The scope of allegations also paints a picture of deep integration between Venezuela's government and organized crime, including purported cooperation with groups such as Colombia's FARC in the production and transport of cocaine.
Prosecutors will need to bring Maduro and Flores before a federal judge in New York, where they will face arraignment, potential plea negotiations, and a pre‑trial process that could extend for months or years.
As the legal process begins, Maduro and Flores are expected to face the full weight of U.S. criminal justice, with their cases likely becoming focal points in ongoing international disputes over governance, security and the rule of law in the hemisphere.
