Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the indictment of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and his wife on terrorism and weapons charges in the Southern District of New York.
"Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York," Bondi wrote Saturday morning on X.
"Nicholas Maduro has been charged with Narcoterrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States. They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.
"On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers."
The indictment has been unsealed and can be viewed here.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said Maduro, who was captured by U.S. special forces early Saturday, will "finally face justice for his crimes."
"A new dawn for Venezuela!" Landau wrote early Saturday morning on X. "🙏 The tyrant is gone. He will now—finally—face justice for his crimes. 🇺🇸🇻🇪"
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke wi Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, after a public X request for a legal justification.
"Just got off the phone with@SecRubio," Lee posted on X. "He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.
"This action likely falls within the president's inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack.
Lee added in an ensuing post: "He anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody."
www.justice.gov/opa/media/1422326/dl
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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