Overview
- U.S. officials say special operations forces seized Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores in Venezuela and flew them out of the country.
- The Justice Department announced SDNY charges: narcoterrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons.
- The prosecution revives a 2020 grand‑jury case and now names additional defendants, including Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, Diosdado Cabello, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín, and Tren de Aragua leader Héctor Guerrero Flores.
- Prosecutors allege long‑running alliances with the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas, FARC, ELN, and Tren de Aragua to move multi‑ton cocaine shipments into the United States.
- Officials say initial court appearances in Manhattan are forthcoming, while Mexico condemns the U.S. operation and a senator cites assurances that no further military actions are expected.