<noinclude> </noinclude>
United States v. Nicolás Maduro Moros et al., originally filed under United States v. Carvajal-Barrios, is a federal criminal case filed against Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, and various senior Venezuelan officials by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in 2011 and unsealed on March 26, 2020. The indictment alleged that Maduro and his associates conspired with Colombian guerrilla groups to traffic cocaine into the United States as part of what U.S. authorities termed a narcoterrorism conspiracy.
The indictment initially included Hugo Carvajal, who was arrested in Spain in 2021 and extradited to the United States on a warrant for drug trafficking in 2014. Carvajal pleaded guilty in June 2025. ClÃÂver Alcalá Cordones, who was also indicted, surrendered to U.S. agents in Colombia and in 2023 pleaded guilty to providing aid to the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
On January 3, 2026, a superseding indictment was unsealed after Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured during a U.S. military operation in Caracas supported by the DOJ and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Maduro and Flores were transported to the United States and taken into federal custody in New York City, and are currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. They have pleaded not guilty.
Venezuela was identified by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2011 as a major cocaine transit country from Colombia to North America and Europe. Since the late 1990s, drug trafficking organizations have used Venezuela's porous borders, extensive coastline, and limited maritime patrol to move shipments northward to the Caribbean and Central America, where they continue towards Europe and the United States for sale. During the Fourth Republic (1958âÂÂ1999), the Venezuelan government maintained close cooperation with U.S. counter-narcotics programs. However, relations began to deteriorate after the election of President Hugo Chávez in 1999 and the launch of the Bolivarian Revolution, which signaled a departure from Venezuela's traditional ties with Washington. Chávez became increasingly critical of U.S. economic and foreign policy and relations further deteriorated after Venezuela accused the Bush administration of supporting the 2002 Venezuelan coup attempt against Chávez, an accusation that was partly retracted later.
In 2005, Venezuela expelled the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from the country, accusing the agency of espionage and undermining Venezuela's national sovereignty. Following the DEA's expulsion and amid the agency's expanding partnership with Colombia that same year, Venezuela became an increasingly attractive area to drug traffickers. The absence of U.S. anti-drug efforts, combined with weak domestic enforcement capacity and Venezuela's porous border with Colombia, allowed drug trafficking networks to expand their operations across the country and use its borders and ports as transit points for cocaine bound for North America and Europe.
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, U.S. authorities accused senior Venezuelan officials of forging direct ties with drug cartels and Colombian insurgent groups. Investigators alleged that these connections coalesced into a criminal network of military and political elites known as the Cartel of the Suns (). The name refers to the sun insignias worn by Venezuelan generals, many of whom were suspected of exploiting their positions to profit from narcotics trafficking. Over time, the network was alleged to have expanded beyond the armed forces to include senior government officials, intelligence operatives, and members of the judiciary. Since 2012, the U.S. government has reported that "generally permissive security forces and a corrupt political environment have made Venezuela one of the preferred routes of cocaine trafficking from South America." According to these assessments, drug trafficking organizations operating in Venezuela have included Mexican cartels such as Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuelan groups like Tren de Aragua, and Colombian armed organizations ranging from the FARC to the ELN. U.S. officials further allege that elements of Venezuela's security forces have directly assisted these trafficking groups and their operations.
Several U.S. court cases in the 2010s highlighted these allegations. In November 2015, two nephews of First Lady Cilia Flores, EfraÃÂn Antonio Campo Flores and Francisco Flores de Freitas, were arrested in Haiti by the DEA and extradited to the United States on charges of conspiring to smuggle 800 kilograms of cocaine into the country, a scandal widely referred to as the Narcosobrinos affair. On November 18, 2016, both were found guilty, with prosecutors alleging that the proceeds from their trafficking were intended to "help their family stay in power" in Venezuela. They were sentenced on December 14, 2017, to 18 years in federal prison. These convictions further supported the allegations that Venezuela's political elite was directly involved in drug trafficking operations.
Former Venezuelan intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal, widely known by his nickname El Pollo, was a longtime ally of both Chávez and Maduro and held senior posts within the country's military intelligence services. In 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned him for allegedly aiding the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) by facilitating their drug trafficking operations. Carvajal consistently denied these allegations and dismissed them as politically motivated. Over time, however, his relationship with the Maduro government deteriorated. During the Venezuelan presidential crisis, he publicly renounced Maduro and declared his support for opposition leader Juan Guaidó. Shortly afterward, he fled Venezuela, fueling speculation about his knowledge of state corruption given his potential involvement in it. In April 2019, Maduro expelled Carvajal from the Armed Forces, stripped him of his rank as Major General, and accused him of treason. That same month, he was arrested in Spain at the request of the United States on charges of drug trafficking. A Spanish court initially rejected the extradition request, but the ruling was later overturned on appeal. By that time, however, Carvajal had gone into hiding. He remained underground in Madrid for nearly two years before he was recaptured by Spanish authorities in September 2021. Following extended legal proceedings related to a 2020 U.S. indictment, Spain approved his extradition in 2023, and Carvajal was transferred to the United States to face charges of narcotics trafficking and related offenses.
According to the United States Department of Justice, by the late 2000s, Venezuelan officials had forged a strategic alliance with FARC factions. The DOJ alleged that Venezuela provided the group with a haven, military equipment, and logistical support in exchange for cocaine revenues. These arrangements reportedly allowed FARC to expand its operations across Venezuela and build clandestine airstrips and maritime routes to move multi-ton shipments of cocaine northward. Attorney General William Barr later summarized this partnership as a conspiracy "to flood the United States with cocaine" and to "undermine the health and security of the American people."
By early 2020, Venezuela was facing one of the world's deepest political and humanitarian crises. Years of economic collapse, driven by hyperinflation that reached an estimated 2 million percent, had severely reduced living standards. Oil production historically accounted for more than 90 percent of national revenue and fell to record lows. In turn, chronic shortages of food, medicine, electricity, and other essential goods, alongside the deterioration of public services, contributed to widespread deprivation. International organizations reported rising levels of malnutrition and a resurgence of preventable diseases due to the scarcity of medical supplies and the collapse of the healthcare infrastructure. The situation prompted the displacement of over five million Venezuelans, making it the largest migration crisis in Latin American history. Neighboring countries such as Colombia, Brazil, and Peru received significant refugee populations during this time. Politically, the crisis deepened after the disputed 2018 presidential election, which was not recognized by the United States and several governments in Europe and the Americas; many of these states instead recognized Juan Guaidó, president of the National Assembly, as interim president, sparking the Venezuelan presidential crisis.
Throughout 2019, Venezuela experienced mass protests. Further U.S. sanctions on PDVSA intensified, and there were violent clashes during humanitarian aid deliveries at the Colombia and Brazil borders in an attempt to block incoming aid. Nationwide, there were blackouts and the failed April 30 uprising led by Guaidó and opposition leader Leopoldo López occurred. UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet accused Venezuelan security forces affiliated with Maduro of arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings. Mediation efforts by Norway to resolve the political crisis collapsed by mid-2019, following the Trump administration's decision to impose an economic embargo on Venezuela in an attempt to increase pressure on Maduro to resign. Internationally, the Lima Group and the European Union's International Contact Group pursued diplomatic initiatives, while Russia, China, and Cuba continued to support Maduro.
The timing of the indictment also drew international scrutiny, as it came amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela. At the time, Maduro had proposed negotiations with the opposition to coordinate a national response to the crisis. Critics argued that the U.S. decision to unseal the indictment undermined fragile prospects for dialogue and hindered Venezuela's access to international humanitarian aid. Supporters of the charges, however, maintained that they were necessary to hold the Venezuelan leadership accountable for years of alleged criminal activity, corruption, and complicity in the narcotics trade.
On March 26, 2020, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed the criminal indictments against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and more than a dozen current and former Venezuelan officials. The charges were filed primarily in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), with related cases in the District of Columbia and the Southern District of Florida.
The indictment against Maduro marked one of the rare occasions in which a sitting head of state was criminally charged by U.S. prosecutors, placing him in a category shared only with leaders such as Panama's Manuel Noriega and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, who were both indicted by U.S. courts while in power.
In a virtual press conference, United States Attorney General William Barr described Venezuela under Maduro's rule as a country "plagued by criminality and corruption". He accused Maduro and his allies of conspiring with the FARC to ship tons of cocaine into the United States to "wage a health war on American citizens".
According to prosecutors, Venezuelan leaders and the FARC faction organized an "air bridge" from Venezuelan military airbases to Central America and a parallel maritime route through the Caribbean. These operations allegedly moved hundreds of tons of cocaine annually and generated billions of dollars in illicit revenue for both the guerrilla groups and Venezuela's ruling elite.
The indictment included charges of narco-terrorism, conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, and corruption. Prosecutors alleged that Maduro and his associates directed Venezuelan military and intelligence resources to protect cocaine shipments, provide armed escorts for flights, and allow clandestine airstrips to be used for trafficking operations. Some defendants were also accused of arranging weapons transfers to FARC in exchange for drugs, thereby tying the conspiracy to both narcotics and armed conflict.
Hours after the announcement, the United States Department of State offered a reward of $15 million for information leading to Maduro's arrest and up to $10 million for several of his top associates. The indictment was unsealed the same day it was filed, and the DOJ released wanted posters for Maduro and other defendants. The decision to go public immediately despite knowing the defendants were beyond U.S. jurisdiction was interpreted as both a legal maneuver to strengthen the U.S. extradition efforts abroad as well as a political signal of Washington's intent to escalate pressure on the Venezuelan leadership.
A superseding indictment of January 3, 2026, included the names of Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, his son Nicolas Maduro Guerra, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, former interior minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin and the alleged leader of Tren de Aragua, Niño Guerrero.
One day after the indictment was announced, retired Venezuelan general ClÃÂver Alcalá Cordones surrendered to Colombian authorities in Barranquilla and was transferred to the United States. In 2023, Alcalá pleaded guilty to providing material support to a terrorist organization and to illicit arms transfers, while prosecutors dropped broader narcotics charges. His guilty plea marked the first conviction among those indicted in the case and demonstrated the U.S. willingness to pursue prosecutions even when the top defendants remained outside its jurisdiction.
In early May 2020, a failed armed incursion into Venezuela known as Operation Gideon was launched by a group of Venezuelan dissidents and U.S. private security contractors. The mission aimed to capture President Maduro and other senior officials and transport them to the United States.
Media investigations and testimonies from those involved indicated that the operation was at least partly motivated by the rewards announced by the US government in March 2020, which offered up to $15 million for information leading to Maduro's arrest and lesser sums for several of his associates.
According to subsequent reports, some participants believed that delivering Maduro to U.S. authorities would secure the bounty and provide international legitimacy for their actions. The Venezuelan government quickly defeated the incursion, killing several participants and arresting dozens more, including two former U.S. special forces soldiers. Maduro cited the incident as proof that the United States was seeking his removal through both legal and covert military means.
Former intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal initially evaded arrest after fleeing Venezuela in 2019, after breaking ties with Maduro. He was apprehended in Madrid in September 2021 by the National Police Corps following years in hiding. After a lengthy extradition battle in Spanish courts, Carvajal was extradited to the United States in July 2023 and arraigned before the Southern District of New York. He initially pleaded not guilty but, in June 2025, pleaded guilty to narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges. His plea was considered a major breakthrough for U.S. prosecutors, who had long sought his testimony regarding ties between Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrilla groups.
The July 2024 presidential election significantly intensified international pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government. Opposition candidate Edmundo González claimed victory based on precinct-level tallies and independent monitoring, while the government-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro the winner. The disputed outcome triggered nationwide protests, met with repression by Venezuelan security forces.
The United States, the European Union, and several Latin American governments, including Brazil, Colombia, and Chile, denounced the election as fraudulent and refused to recognize the CNE's declaration of Maduro's victory. They cited reports of voting irregularities, the disqualification of opposition candidates, intimidation of voters, and concerns raised by international observers. Human rights organizations further documented arbitrary arrests and violent repression of protesters in the aftermath. Despite widespread condemnation, Maduro was inaugurated on January 10, 2025, for a third term. His swearing-in deepened Venezuela's political crisis, worsened relations with democratic governments across the region, and led to the imposition of additional international sanctions. The disputed election also galvanized the opposition, which continued to call for a transitional government and renewed international mediation efforts.
That same day, the U.S. State Department announced that the reward against Maduro was increased from $15 million to $25 million. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the decision was part of "a concerted message of solidarity with the Venezuelan people," intended "to further elevate international efforts to maintain pressure on Maduro and his representatives." Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that the United States "does not recognize Nicolás Maduro as the president of Venezuela," while U.S. Treasury Under Secretary Bradley Smith added that Washington stood with its "likeminded partners" in "solidarity with the people's vote for new leadership and rejects Maduro's fraudulent claim of victory."
In addition to the bounty on Maduro, the U.S. government also increased the reward offers for several other senior Venezuelan officials. The reward for Diosdado Cabello, widely regarded as the second most powerful figure in the ruling party, was raised from $10 million to $25 million. Similarly, a $15 million reward was announced for Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, reflecting Washington's accusations that he played a central role in enabling drug trafficking and maintaining the regime's grip on power.
As part of its enforcement efforts, the United States targeted assets allegedly linked to Maduro. In September 2024, U.S. authorities seized a Dassault Falcon 900EX jet that prosecutors said had been purchased through shell companies to evade sanctions. The aircraft, intercepted in the Dominican Republic and later flown to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was presented as evidence of how Venezuela's leadership used front companies to conceal illicit financial transactions.
On January 3rd, 2026, during U.S. military strikes on Venezuelan targets as part of Operation Absolute Resolve, U.S. special forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at a residence in Caracas. The couple was initially transferred to the USS Iwo Jima and subsequently flown to the US, arriving at Stewart Air National Guard Base on the same day. Maduro was taken into federal custody to face the 2020 narco-terrorism charges in the Southern District of New York, with an initial court appearance scheduled for the following week. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that both Maduro and Flores would face charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy, in a superseding indictment.
On January 5, 2026, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. They both entered not guilty pleas to numerous drug trafficking charges. This marked the execution of the outstanding arrest warrant from the 2020 indictment and was a rare instance of a sitting head of state being apprehended by U.S. forces to face domestic criminal charges, drawing comparisons to the 1989 capture of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega.
Maduro is represented by lawyer Barry Pollack, and Cilia Flores is represented by lawyer Mark Donnelly. Maduro said: "I'm innocent. I'm not guilty â I'm a decent man". Pollack told the court that his client has health issues that will require attention, while Flores's attorney said she may have fractured or severe bruising on her ribs. The next court proceeding was set for March 17. Bruce Fein has also been involved as a lawyer in the case.
On February 17, 2026, Maduro's next scheduled court appearance would be delayed to March 26, 2026.
Due to US sanctions on Maduro, the US government will not allow the Venezuelan government to pay for Maduro's legal representation. Pollack said the US Treasury granted an exemption to the sanctions on the 9 January but revoked it hours later. Pollack said "The government of Venezuela has an obligation to pay Mr. Maduro's fees, Mr. Maduro has a legitimate expectation that the government of Venezuela would do so, and Mr. Maduro cannot otherwise afford counsel." According to Pollack, Flores might still receive government funds for her legal fees.
On 26 March 2026, Maduro and Flores would again appear in court. Following a court hearing, they would both be transferred back to jail in Brooklyn.
In Argentina, a case on Maduro's alleged crimes was filed in 2023. A international arrest warrant for Maduro was issued in 2024.
In February 2026, an extradition of Maduro was requested after his capture. Argentine federal judge Sebastián Ramos signed a warrant on Maduro for crimes against humanity. Charges include torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance by Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN). Extradition between Argentina and United States is possible under a 1997 treaty and must be requested by the Argentine foreign minister.
On August 7, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of State announced that the reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Nicolás Maduro had been increased to $50 million. The figure doubled the earlier bounty of $25 million offered in January 2025 and represented the largest reward ever placed by the United States on a foreign head of state. Following Maduro's capture by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026, during Operation Absolute Resolve, the reward was rendered moot as it was contingent on public information leading to his arrest rather than direct military action.
U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi accused Maduro of collaborating with foreign terrorist and criminal organizations, including the Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Cartel of the Suns, to bring deadly violence into the United States. The claim against Tren de Aragua contradicted a U.S. intelligence assessment concluding there was no evidence of widespread coordination between Maduro and TDA. In a video message, Bondi described Maduro as one of the "world's most notorious narco-traffickers" and a "threat to national security," declaring that under President Donald Trump's leadership, "Maduro will not escape justice, and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes." She also provided the public with a hotline number to report tips to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
On August 14, 2025, Bondi told Rachel Campos-Duffy of Fox News that the DOJ had seized approximately $700 million in assets linked to Maduro. These assets allegedly included multiple luxury homes in Florida, a mansion in the Dominican Republic, private jets, vehicles, a horse farm, jewelry, and large sums of cash. Bondi described Maduro's government as an "organized crime operation" that continued to function despite the seizures.
After the capture of Nicolás Maduro, U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio added that nobody will receive the reward. Rubio said, "He is a fugitive of the American justice with a $50 million reward. I guess we're saving $50 million now," to which Trump replied "Don't let anybody claim it. Nobody deserves it but us."
The Venezuelan government strongly condemned the U.S. decision to raise the bounty on Nicolás Maduro to $50 million. Foreign Minister Yván Gil dismissed the announcement as a "crude political propaganda operation," claiming it was intended to distract from U.S. domestic controversies. Vice President Delcy RodrÃÂguez called Attorney General Pam Bondi's remarks "shameless" and a "ridiculous and cheap show," going further by suggesting that Bondi was "not in her right mind" due to pressure over the Jeffrey Epstein client list.
President Maduro responded defiantly in a nationally televised broadcast, daring President Trump to attempt his arrest and warning that such an action would provoke retaliation that could lead to the "end of the American empire." He accused Washington of waging psychological warfare against Venezuela and framed the bounty increase as proof that the country was "winning the global battle against imperialism."
The announcement also sparked coordinated propaganda campaigns across Venezuela. State-controlled media portrayed the bounty increase as proof of U.S. "desperation" and framed it as part of Washington's long-standing efforts to destabilize the country. Pro-government rallies were organized in Caracas and other major cities, where demonstrators carried banners reading "Trump Hands Off Venezuela" and voiced support for Maduro's leadership. In a show of defiance, Maduro ordered military exercises in coastal states, presenting them as a symbolic demonstration of sovereignty and warning foreign adversaries that Venezuela would "defend every inch of its territory."
The National Assembly, dominated by Maduro loyalists, also issued a formal resolution condemning the U.S. decision. Assembly president Jorge RodrÃÂguez described the reward increase as an illegal and desperate attempt to undermine Maduro and the Venezuelan people, emphasizing that lawmakers unanimously rejected the measure. RodrÃÂguez, who also serves as the government's chief negotiator in talks with the US, argued that neither sanctions nor international pressure would succeed in reversing what he characterized as the popular mandate from the disputed 2024 election that re-elected Maduro.
In the United States, the announcement drew mixed reactions. Supporters of President Trump framed the increase as a bold step to hold Maduro accountable and highlighted the asset seizures as proof of progress. Critics, however, mocked the reward as redundant, pointing out that "he's in Venezuela" and unlikely to be captured. Social media commentators accused the Trump administration of staging a political distraction from domestic controversies, particularly the Jeffrey Epstein client list, which was dominating headlines at the time.
The Justice and State Departments defended the decision, stressing that the increased bounty was part of the long-standing Narcotics Rewards Program and consistent with U.S. counter-narcotics and counterterrorism policy. Attorney General Pam Bondi argued that Maduro's alleged cooperation with international criminal networks justified extraordinary measures. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the move as part of Washington's broader pressure strategy, intended to further isolate Maduro diplomatically and encourage defections within his government.
In Congress, Republican lawmakers strongly supported the announcement. Representative Byron Donalds described the reward increase as a necessary step to hold Maduro accountable for "narco-terrorism" and corruption. Earlier in 2025, Senators Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, and Bill Cassidy had introduced the STOP MADURO Act, which sought to raise the maximum potential reward for Maduro's arrest and conviction to $100 million.
Democratic leaders did not comment directly on the $50 million reward, but had previously emphasized support for Venezuelans during the January 2025 increase to $25 million under former President Biden. In a joint statement, several Democratic foreign policy leaders in Congress condemned Maduro's authoritarianism while urging bipartisan cooperation to support the Venezuelan people.
In 2020, the Venezuelan government immediately denounced the indictments as an act of "imperialist aggression." President Nicolás Maduro described the charges as a "fabricated plot" by Washington to justify regime change and destabilize Venezuela. In televised remarks, Maduro accused the Trump administration of using narcotics charges as a political weapon and vowed he would "never surrender to threats."
Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza dismissed the indictment in March 2020 as "a new form of coup attempt," arguing that the U.S. was exploiting the global COVID-19 crisis to tighten pressure on Caracas. The Supreme Tribunal of Justice also rejected the legal validity of the charges, declaring that Maduro enjoyed immunity as head of state.
Reactions among the Venezuelan opposition varied. Opposition leader Juan Guaidó, recognized at the time by the United States and several other governments as interim president, welcomed the indictments as evidence that "the world is finally holding Maduro and his accomplices accountable." However, some civil society groups and humanitarian organizations warned that the timing of the charges risked complicating cooperation on urgent health and food needs during the pandemic.
In 2020, U.S. officials framed the indictments as part of a broader "maximum pressure" strategy against Maduro. Then, Attorney General William Barr accused Venezuelan officials of conspiring with the FARC to "flood the United States with cocaine" and described the Maduro government as "plagued by criminality and corruption." The State Department announced a reward of up to US$15 million for information leading to Maduro's arrest, under the Narcotics Rewards Program.
Barr and other senior officials compared the case to earlier prosecutions of foreign leaders, notably former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega, who was convicted of drug trafficking in the United States after his overthrow in 1989.