Overview
- U.S. officials say Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base and were transferred to federal custody ahead of an expected arraignment in Manhattan next week.
- The superseding Southern District of New York filing charges Maduro with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons.
- Prosecutors allege a long-running scheme that moved thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States and enriched Maduro, his family and senior Venezuelan officials.
- The indictment names additional defendants, including Maduro’s son Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra and prominent officials, though several have not been taken into U.S. custody.
- Reports describe a pre-dawn operation in Caracas, the couple’s seizure at Fuerte Tiuna, transfer to the USS Iwo Jima and onward flight to New York, as Caracas disputes the U.S. account and international criticism focuses on sovereignty and legality.