Pam Bondi declares Nicolas Maduro and wife will face 'full wrath of American justice' in US courts
WASHINGTON, DC: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been taken into US custody and have been transported to the United States to face federal charges, Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed on Saturday, January 3.
In a statement following what officials described as a “large-scale” military operation, Bondi said that the arrests marked a decisive end to years of alleged criminal conduct by the Venezuelan leader.
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” she said, crediting President Donald Trump and US forces for executing the operation.
Pam Bondi claims Nicolas Maduro will face justice
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 3, 2026
Bondi confirmed that both Maduro and Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on sweeping charges, including n**co-t*****ism conspiracy, c***ine importation conspiracy, and weapons offenses involving machine guns and destructive devices.
The inclusion of Flores, long considered part of Maduro’s inner circle, signals a broader prosecutorial push against the regime’s leadership. Bondi praised Trump for “demanding accountability” and thanked the US military for carrying out the mission.
A historic extraction
President Trump described the arrest as the result of a coordinated “large-scale strike” involving US military and law enforcement assets.
While operational details remain classified, the seizure of a sitting foreign head of state is virtually unprecedented in modern geopolitics.
US officials have long labeled Maduro as an authoritarian ruler, and the operation fulfills years of stated US policy aimed at bringing him before American courts.
Republicans back Trump's authority in Venezuela
Just got off the phone with @SecRubio
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) January 3, 2026
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… https://t.co/lXCxhPoKSZ
Questions over the legality of the operation surfaced almost immediately, but senior Republicans moved quickly to defend the President’s authority.
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) said that he spoke directly with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who explained that the military action was necessary to protect US personnel executing a lawful arrest warrant.
Lee said that the operation “likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II” to safeguard American forces from imminent threats.
Nicolas Maduro's decades of alleged crimes
Maduro has been under US indictment since 2020, when federal prosecutors accused him of leading the so-called “Cartel of the Suns,” a s***gling network allegedly embedded within Venezuela’s government and military.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) reiterated that charge, writing that Maduro “ran a vast d**g-t******king operation” and would now finally face justice in the US legal system.
No further action expected
With Maduro and Flores secured, US officials signaled that the military phase of the operation was complete. Senator Lee said that the administration expected “no further action in Venezuela” now that the primary targets were in custody.
