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U.S. charges Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and top officials for drug trafficking scheme
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| Contributor | IndyGeorgia |
| Last Edited | IndyGeorgia Mar 26, 2020 10:51am |
| Category | Investigation |
| News Date | Mar 26, 2020 10:35am |
| Description | Washington — The Justice Department announced charges against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his top deputies for crimes related to narco-terrorism, money laundering and drug trafficking, marking the most aggressive action taken by the United States against the socialist country.
Attorney General William Barr announced the unsealing of superseding indictments in federal court in New York and South Florida against Maduro and other Venezuelan officials, alleging they orchestrated a "narco-terrorism conspiracy" spanning more than two decades.
"As alleged, the Maduro regime is awash in corruption and criminality. Maduro and his defendants have betrayed the Venezuelan people and corrupted Venezuela's institutions," Barr said during a "virtual" news conference in Washington, D.C., to reduce the risk of exposure to coronavirus. "While the Venezuelan people suffer, this cabal lines their pockets with drug money and the proceeds of their corruption, and this has to come to an end."
In addition to Maduro, the head of Venezuela's Constituent Assembly, its former director of military intelligence and a former high-ranking general were charged in New York for their involvement in narco-terrorism. The chief justice of Venezuela's Supreme Court was charged for involvement in money laundering in South Florida, Barr said, and the country's minister of defense was indicted on drug trafficking charges in the District of Columbia.
Federal prosecutors allege Maduro and other Venezuelan leaders worked with FARC, a Colombian guerilla group, as part of efforts to "flood the United States with cocaine." |
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