Washington, DC – Following the swift military operation by Delta Force in Caracas, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro “will soon face the full wrath of US justice” on US soil and in its courts, thus ending years of international legal pursuit. The US Attorney General stated that Maduro will face “the wrath of justice” on charges of terrorism and drug trafficking.
Heavy indictment: terrorism and cocaine
In a letter released early Saturday morning, Bondi outlined the details of the formal indictment against Maduro, which includes serious criminal charges, most notably conspiracy to commit acts of narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import large quantities of cocaine into the United States, and possession of automatic weapons and explosive devices and conspiracy to use them against U.S. interests. Bondi explained that the case was first filed in 2020 through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and remained pending until today’s military arrest.
Praise for the military operation
The Attorney General offered special thanks to President Donald Trump and the US military, describing the operation as a “very successful” arrest of two of the most prominent “suspects of international drug trafficking” (referring to Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores). Despite Bondi’s confirmation that Maduro would face US justice, she did not officially disclose his exact location at the time of the statement, merely hinting that he was in US custody outside Venezuelan borders.
Legal implications
Legal experts believe that transferring Maduro to the United States would set a historical precedent, as he would be treated as a “criminal fugitive” and not as a head of state, thus stripping him of diplomatic immunity before federal courts in New York. This is the same strategy that was previously used with former Panamanian President Manuel Noriega.
