U.S. Military Captures Venezuelan Leader in Operation to Return Him for Cocaine Conspiracy Trial

U.S. military forces successfully captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a recent operation, returning them to American soil for legal proceedings under federal indictment. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the updated charges this week, alleging Maduro committed “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 indictment follows a landmark 2020 federal case initiated by former Attorney General William Barr, which accused Maduro of orchestrating a violent narco-terrorism conspiracy spanning decades. The original charges detailed how Maduro’s regime facilitated a pipeline for cocaine trafficking through Venezuela’s border regions with Colombia and Caribbean routes, allegedly shipping between 200 to 250 metric tons annually—equivalent to 30 million lethal doses—to flood the United States with drugs.

According to federal data cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. cocaine overdose deaths surged from 4,681 in 2011 to 29,449 in 2023—a sixfold increase over twelve years—representing nearly three times the military fatalities recorded during the Vietnam War.

In January 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken intensified efforts by raising reward offers for Maduro’s arrest and conviction to $25 million, alongside additional incentives targeting his key aides. The Biden administration initially offered up to $15 million in 2020 before the Trump administration doubled that amount eight months later.

Bondi emphasized that “Maduro deserves to stand trial in this country for the horrendous crimes he’s allegedly committed.” She stated that U.S. forces did not suffer casualties during the operation, underscoring the nation’s commitment to addressing the trafficking conspiracy without foreign intervention. The updated indictment reflects ongoing legal action against Maduro’s regime for its role in fueling America’s drug crisis.

Terence P. Jeffrey is a contributing editor at CNSNews.com and former editor of Human Events.