Attorney General Pam Bondi stated on Saturday on the social network X that Maduro and Flores "will face the full fury of American justice in American courts", making clear the Justice Department's determination to pursue the case to its ultimate consequences.
Trump, control of Venezuela, and oil
President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that the United States is "in charge" of Venezuela after the fall of the regime and confirmed that he is holding talks with the new authorities headed by interim president Delcy Rodríguez.
"We need full access. We need access to oil and other resources that will allow us to rebuild your country", Trump stated, setting the course for a transition supervised by Washington.
Nicolás Maduro podría enfrentar la pena de muerte en Estados Unidos por narcoterrorismo
Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, although experts warn that the recovery of production will require time, investment, and political stability.
International reactions and assessment of the operation
The Venezuelan Army formally recognized Delcy Rodríguez as interim president and urged calm. However, demonstrations by Maduro supporters were reported in Caracas, including armed groups on motorcycles.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López admitted that much of Maduro's security team died during the operation. Cuba confirmed the deaths of 32 of its citizens, all military personnel deployed in Venezuela.
The UN Security Council convened an emergency session at the request of Venezuela. China, Russia, and Iran condemned the operation, while some United States allies expressed concern, although they did not disregard the seriousness of the accusations against the former Venezuelan dictator.
Nicolás Maduro, former Venezuelan dictator, 63 years old, appeared this Monday before a federal court in New York City, where he faces charges of drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, and criminal conspiracy that could result in the death penalty if he is found guilty. The New York Post reported this, citing judicial sources and official documentation.
Maduro arrived at the court under a heavy security operation, escorted by armed federal agents, after being transported by helicopter and armored vehicles from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He remains detained there along with his wife, Cilia Flores, after having been captured on Saturday during a United States military operation in Caracas.
Federal charges and possible capital punishment
According to federal legislation in the United States, a defendant who violates the Controlled Substances Act "as part of a continuing criminal enterprise" may be eligible for the death penalty. Records from the Library of Congress cited by U.S. media confirmed the information.
Although death sentences for crimes linked exclusively to drug trafficking are rare, the Maduro case is exceptionally serious because of the systematic nature of the accusations and the use of the Venezuelan state apparatus as a platform for international drug trafficking.
Cuba admitió la muerte de 32 militares durante la operación de Estados Unidos que capturó a Nicolás Maduro
The charges include narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, and crimes related to the use and possession of weapons of war, including machine guns.
An indictment that is expanding
Maduro had already been charged in 2020 by a federal grand jury, but the indictment was expanded this year with new charges. His son Nicolás Maduro Guerra, known as "Nicolasito," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, and a fugitive drug kingpin also appear in the case file, all identified as part of a transnational criminal structure.
