U.S. Accuses Maduro of Drug Money Flights from Mexico

The United States government has filed a new accusation in the case against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, alleging that when he held positions in the Venezuelan Executive, he facilitated the use of official flights from Mexican territory to transport money from drug sales.

According to the accusation filed on December 23 before the Southern District Court of New York, Maduro—then Minister of Foreign Affairs during the government of Hugo Chávez—sold diplomatic passports to drug traffickers operating in Mexico and allowed aircraft with diplomatic cover to be used to bring drug trafficking proceeds back to Venezuela without being inspected by police or military authorities.

The federal prosecution states that when cartels needed to move money from Mexico, officials of the Venezuelan regime coordinated with the embassy in that country the arrival of diplomatic flights that were loaded with cash from drug sales and returned to the South American country under that protection.

The court documents also mention for the first time Maduro’s wife and son, Cilia Flores and Nicolás Maduro Guerra, identified as part of the operations, as well as the alleged leader of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization.

The accusation expands the case Maduro faces in U.S. courts, amid diplomatic tensions and drug trafficking investigations that place him as one of the main targets of justice in the United States.