How cocaine and corruption led to the indictment of Maduro

A newly unsealed U.S. Justice Department indictment accuses captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of running a "corrupt, illegitimate government" fueled by an extensive drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S. with thousands of tons of cocaine.The arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a stunning military operation early Saturday in Venezuela sets the stage for a major test for U.S. prosecutors as they seek to secure a conviction in a New York courtroom against the longtime leader of the oil-rich South American nation.Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and Flores "will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts. 'Cocaine-fueled corruption' flourishedThe indictment accuses Maduro of partnering with "some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world" to allow for the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S.Authorities allege powerful and violent drug-trafficking organizations, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Tren de Aragua gang, worked directly with the Venezuelan government and then sent profits to high-ranking officials who helped and protected them in exchange.But a U.S. intelligence assessment published in April, which drew on input from the 18 agencies that comprise the intelligence community, found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government.Maduro allowed "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," the indictment alleges.U.S. They were both sentenced in 2017 to 18 years in prison for conspiring to send tons of cocaine into the U.S. before being released in 2022 as part of a prisoner swap in exchange for seven imprisoned Americans.Rubio calls operation a 'law enforcement function'During a news conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cast the military raid that captured Maduro and his wife as an action carried out on behalf of the Department of Justice.

Author: Alanna Durkin Richer And Larry Neumeister Associated Press

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