Allies of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro who remain in Venezuela also face forcible removal from that country, Heritage Foundation senior research fellow Brent Sadler said Tuesday.
"I think the threat of force is always hanging over them, kind of like the sword of Damocles, if they choose the wrong path," Sadler told Newsmax's "American Agenda."
Maduro pleaded not guilty Monday to federal drug trafficking charges.
He and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from their Caracas home Saturday. She also pleaded not guilty.
A 25-page indictment accuses Maduro and others of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. They could face life in prison if convicted.
Among other things, the indictment accuses Maduro and his wife of ordering kidnappings, beatings, and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their drug trafficking operation.
"There are still several members of this regime that are wanted on the same ... indictments," he said.
Sadler said a similar fate is pending for "the minister of defense and the minister of internal security."
"Clearly, the current regime could turn them over. They're not going to do that," he said.
A new national leadership election in Venezuela is likely in the coming weeks, Sadler said.
"I think we will see a regime change," he said.
"[T]he Venezuelan people themselves, they've already clearly articulated ... in 2024 they didn't want to have anything to do with Maduro and the rest of his cronies."
Hours after polls closed in Venezuela's 2024 election, the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner without releasing detailed vote totals.
The opposition later published tally sheets from more than 80% of voting machines showing its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, defeated Maduro by more than a 2-to-1 margin.
A free and fair election, said Sadler, is all that is needed there.
"So let the people decide. Have a valid, legitimate government in Venezuela," he said.
"And [it is] highly likely that that government, 30 days later from now, will be one in which the United States and many in Latin America can live peacefully next to and also free of this narco-terrorism that's been emanating out of there."
At the same time, Sadler cautioned about the potential difficulties getting foreign operatives out of Venezuela.
"And of course, we can talk a lot more about the Chinese, the Russians, and the Iranian presence that should be on their way out the door as we speak."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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