U.S. Charges Maduro for Possessing Machine Gun in Venezuela

The United States has charged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with possessing machine guns and destructive devices, according to a superseding indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York.

Maduro appeared in U.S. federal court on Monday after being taken into U.S. custody alongside his wife, Cilia Flores, during a military operation in Caracas on Saturday. U.S. officials said the operation was carried out on behalf of the Department of Justice.

The indictment, filed under seal before December 25 and unsealed over the weekend, accuses Maduro of leading what U.S. prosecutors describe as a corrupt government sustained by international drug trafficking. Maduro has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Prosecutors allege that from at least 1999 through 2025, Maduro and five others knowingly possessed machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of a drug trafficking conspiracy. The indictment specifies that the weapons included machine guns capable of firing multiple rounds automatically with a single pull of the trigger.

The firearms charges are part of a four-count case that also includes narco-terrorism conspiracy and conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S., offences that carry potential life sentences under U.S. law. Prosecutors allege Maduro worked with drug trafficking organisations in Colombia and Mexico to move large quantities of cocaine through Venezuelan territory.

The indictment also names Flores, their son Nicolas Maduro Guerra, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, former interior minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, and alleged Tren de Aragua gang leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as “Nino Guerrero.” Only Maduro and Flores were taken into U.S. custody during the operation.

Maduro has not been charged with fentanyl trafficking. While U.S. officials have linked Venezuela to the U.S. fentanyl crisis, Venezuela is not known to produce the synthetic drug, and U.S. data does not list it among the world’s major drug-producing countries.

U.S. officials have also claimed Maduro is linked to the Tren de Aragua criminal group, which Washington has designated a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. U.S. intelligence agencies, however, have said there is no evidence directly connecting Maduro to the group.

In court, Maduro rejected the charges. “I was kidnapped. I am innocent and a decent man, the president of my country,” he said. His lawyer, Barry J. Pollack, said Maduro is the head of a sovereign state entitled to immunity and raised legal questions about the legality of his transfer to the United States.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X that Maduro and Flores “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the raid was “basically a law enforcement function,” adding that the Department of War supported the Department of Justice.