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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Saturday that detained Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife will “soon face the full force of American justice on U.S. soil, in American courts,” NBC News reported.
According to Bondi, Maduro has been charged in a U.S. federal court on at least four counts, including narco-terrorism and weapons offenses “against the United States.”
It remains unclear whether Bondi was referring solely to the charges outlined in the 2020 indictment against the Venezuelan leader, or whether new or additional charges will be filed. She noted that Maduro was charged in the Southern District of New York, the same jurisdiction that issued the 2020 indictment. His wife, Cilia Flores, had not previously faced charges.
Speaking on behalf of the Department of Justice, Bondi thanked President Donald Trump “for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American people,” and expressed “deep gratitude to our brave military personnel who carried out an extraordinary and highly successful operation to detain these two suspected international drug traffickers.”
As previously reported, President Trump ordered strikes on targets in Venezuela, with the operation beginning overnight on January 3. In response, President Maduro accused the United States of military aggression. However, U.S. forces later detained Maduro.
