The criminal case opened in the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York against Nicolás Maduro Moros and other high-ranking Venezuelan officials has become one of the most complex and politically sensitive judicial proceedings in recent US history. This case represents an unprecedented attempt to hold the chavista leadership accountable for alleged narcoterrorism conspiracy, cocaine trafficking into the United States, and the use of war weaponry to protect transnational criminal operations.
The case has roots stretching back over a decade, but it took a definitive shape in March 2020 when the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment linking Nicolás Maduro, former military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal, Diosdado Cabello, and other political and military actors to a drug trafficking structure that reportedly operated for more than twenty years. According to federal prosecutors, the indictment describes a scheme in which state power was allegedly used as a logistical platform to facilitate the systematic shipment of cocaine to the United States in coordination with armed organizations and international criminal networks.
The most recent indictment —filed in late 2025 and unsealed in January 2026— expanded the scope of the case by incorporating new defendants, including Cilia Flores, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín, and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, identified as the leader of the Tren de Aragua. This document redefines the responsibility structure within the case and strengthens the prosecution’s thesis: an alleged network of cooperation among state structures, armed groups, and drug trafficking organizations.
The core charges of the case include narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, use of automatic weapons and destructive devices, as well as conspiracy to possess war weaponry. The most serious accusations carry potential life sentences. The indictment claims that those involved used institutional protection, air and sea routes, along with corruption networks, to ensure the safe transport of drug shipments under official cover.
A significant aspect of the current indictment focuses on its alleged role in specific drug trafficking conspiracies and cooperation with armed actors.
On January 3, 2026, Maduro was captured in Caracas by US forces and transported to New York to face federal charges. According to Washington, this operation represented the execution of a valid criminal indictment; for its critics, it constituted an extraterritorial intervention that could be seen as an act of political aggression. The arrest sparked protests both in favor of and against the US action, diplomatic reactions, and a debate about the boundaries of US criminal jurisdiction.
Since then, the process has moved into a phase dominated by pretrial litigation, with an emphasis on handling classified information under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA). The case includes testimonies from cooperators, sealed documents, and sensitive evidence linked to intelligence on drug trafficking networks and national security. The hearing initially scheduled for March 17 has been postponed repeatedly to the 26th of the same month. Prosecutors argued the need for evidentiary discovery and exclusion of time under the Speedy Trial Act.
The case is legally founded on the principle of extraterritorial jurisdiction, allowing the US to prosecute criminal conspiracies that affect its territory even if executed abroad. Precedents such as that of Manuel Noriega have been cited to validate this type of action. Maduro’s defense, on the other hand, argues state leader immunity, the illegality of the capture, or violations of international law, indicating a lengthy legal battle ahead.
Beyond the judicial realm, the case is embedded in the geopolitical conflict between Washington and Caracas. For the Trump administration, the case represents the application of anti-drug laws against transnational criminal structures, while for critical sectors, it constitutes a political pressure tool and an attempt to reshape power in Venezuela through the judicial system.
Currently, Maduro remains detained in New York awaiting preliminary hearings and the progress of pretrial motions. There is still no definite date for the start of the oral process, and the complexity of the classified evidence is expected to prolong the litigation for months or even years.
It is important to highlight that the outcome of this case could redefine the limits of international justice, the scope of US criminal jurisdiction, and the use of law as a tool for geopolitical confrontation. If it goes to trial, it would be the most ambitious attempt to prosecute a socialist foreign leader for narcoterrorism in US federal courts.