US Unseals Indictment Charging Nicolás Maduro With Narco‑Terrorism, Cocaine Trafficking and Weapons Offenses

The United States has unsealed a superseding indictment accusing Nicolás Maduro, members of his family and senior aides of a years‑long scheme to traffic tons of cocaine into the US and to possess illegal weapons.

The 25‑page indictment, filed in federal court in New York, charges Maduro and five co‑defendants with four felony counts: narco‑terrorism conspiracy; conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States; possession of machine guns and destructive devices; and conspiracy to possess such weapons. If convicted, the defendants could face sentences up to life in prison.

Who Is Named

Indicted alongside Maduro are his wife, Cilia Flores; his son, Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra; Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello Rondón; former Interior Minister Ramón Rodríguez Chacín; and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the alleged leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Nature Of The Allegations

The indictment alleges that Maduro and co‑conspirators partnered with Colombian rebel groups and Mexican cartels — including the FARC (formerly), the ELN, the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas — as well as Tren de Aragua, to move large quantities of cocaine to the United States via transshipment points in the Caribbean and Central America such as Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.

The US State Department has designated the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas and Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations; FARC was removed from the list in 2021, while the ELN remains designated.

"Maduro and his co‑conspirators have, for decades, partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco‑terrorists in the world, and relied on corrupt officials throughout the region, to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States," the indictment states.

Cartel De Los Soles: Patronage System, Not A Single Organization

A prior 2020 indictment described Maduro as linked to a network called the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns). The new superseding indictment makes only limited reference to that label and instead characterizes it as a "patronage system" used to funnel illicit drug proceeds to corrupt civilian, military and intelligence officials, rather than as a formal centralized cartel.

Observers note the term originated in Venezuelan media in the early 1990s after arrests of military officers; the sun emblem appears on generals' uniforms.

Alleged Timeline And Conduct

The complaint traces alleged involvement back to at least 1999. It claims Maduro provided diplomatic cover and logistical support for trafficking operations, including allegations that while he was foreign minister (2006–2008) he issued Venezuelan diplomatic passports to known traffickers, facilitating movement of illicit proceeds under diplomatic cover.

The indictment further alleges that between about 2004 and 2015 Maduro and Cilia Flores "worked together to traffic cocaine, much of which had been previously seized by Venezuelan law enforcement," and that they ordered kidnappings, beatings and murders to protect their trafficking operation.

Legal Defense And Next Steps

Maduro, 63, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, as did Cilia Flores. His defense has signaled arguments that he enjoys presidential immunity and his lawyer questioned the "legality of his abduction" by US forces at the arraignment. The case will ultimately be heard by a federal jury in New York; the next scheduled court date is March 17.