Wednesday, September 9, 2026

U.S. releases document indicting Nicolas Maduro for cocaine trafficking

This comes against the backdrop of Mr Maduro’s arrest by U.S. forces at Caracas.

• January 3, 2026

U.S. Attorney General, Pamela Bondi, on Saturday released court documents indicting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of cocaine trafficking, amongst other crimes.

Ms Bondi published Mr Maduro’s “UNSEALED INDICTMENT” document on X on Saturday.

“For over 25 years, leaders of Venezuela have abused their positions of public trust  and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States,” the indictment document reads.

It added, “NICOLAS MADURO MOROS, the defendant, is at the forefront of that corruption and has partnered with his co-conspirators to use his illegally obtained authority and the institutions he corroded to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States. Since his early days in the Venezuelan government, MADURO MOROS has tarnished every public office he has held. As a member of Venezuela’s National Assembly, MADURO MOROS moved loads of cocaine under the protection of Venezuelan law enforcement.”

According to the document, as Venezuela’s minister of foreign affairs, MADURO MOROS 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. 

The document stated that “As Venezuela’s President and now-de facto ruler, MADURO MOROS allows 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.”

This comes against the backdrop of Mr Maduro’s arrest by U.S. forces at Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, on Saturday after massive airstrikes by the U.S. military.

“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

A few months ago, in August 2025, the U.S. government declared Mr Maduro wanted for peddling drugs into the United States, offering a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the Venezuelan leader.

Earlier on Saturday, Ms Bondi said, “Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.”

The U.S. Attorney General said the duo of Mr Maduro and his wife “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” lauding President Donald Trump and the U.S. military for the capture of the Venezuelan leader.

The Venezuelan government has condemned the arrest of Mr Maduro and the invasion of Venezuela by the U.S. military. Similarly, the Russian ministry of foriegn affairs has opposed the invasion of Venezuelan and arrest of Mr Maduro.

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