Overview
- Specialists in regional narcotics say Trump’s claims tying Nicolás Maduro to U.S. overdose deaths lack evidence and overstate Venezuela’s role.
- State Department and DEA reports describe Venezuela as a limited cocaine transit route and identify Mexican groups as dominant in fentanyl trafficking to the U.S.
- Maduro pleaded not guilty in Manhattan after his capture and remains in U.S. federal custody.
- The New York indictment alleges Maduro sold diplomatic passports to traffickers and ordered kidnappings, beatings, and murders tied to drug operations.
- Administration allies argue the seizure will weaken cartel finances, while critics including Sen. Mark Warner question the drug-fighting rationale.