The Justice Department unsealed a superseding indictment Thursday charging former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiring to commit torture, narcoterrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons offenses. The new charges add to a sweeping case already pending against the couple in Manhattan federal court.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said the allegations describe more than two decades of abuse. As alleged in today’s Superseding Indictment, for more than two decades, Nicolás Maduro Moros and Cilia Adela Flores De Maduro engaged in a conspiracy to commit torture, including the torture of United States citizens, in addition to the narcotics trafficking and weapons offenses already charged,” McDonald said.
According to prosecutors, Maduro and Flores used Venezuelan military, law enforcement, and other government agencies to flood the U.S. with illegal drugs while violently suppressing political opposition at home. The 30-page indictment says the conduct ran from at least 1999 through 2025 and included electric shock, rape, prolonged isolation, and starvation. McDonald called the alleged conduct “truly unthinkable.”
The couple was captured in an extraordinary raid in January. They were already facing narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges and are scheduled to go to trial in June 2027. A prosecutor told the presiding judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein, that cooperating witnesses can attest to the torture. The couple will be arraigned on the new charges at a later date.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department has been working to uncover the full scope of their alleged crimes since the arrest. “These additional charges against the Maduros reflect the dedication of this Administration to delivering justice for the victims of torture, narcoterrorism, and organized crime,” Blanche said. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin credited coordination among DHS, DOJ, FBI, and DEA, saying, “Maduro’s regime is responsible for countless American victims of narcoterrorism and drug trafficking.
Barry Pollack, a lawyer for Maduro, said in a statement that “President Maduro denies the charges in the new indictment and looks forward to his day in court.” You can follow the latest developments through the Maduro torture indictment coverage as the case moves forward.
A federal judge on Thursday also denied a request to release Flores to house arrest. Her attorneys argued she has lost 25 pounds and two teeth since her incarceration and suffers from chest pains and other heart problems. Prison medical staff have recommended a catheterization procedure that Flores has refused. The judge said the charges against her are serious, the evidence supporting them is strong, and that releasing her before the catheterization would be “premature.” He also found that no combination of conditions could guarantee her appearance in court, given the money involved and her contacts in Venezuela.
The trial for both remains set for June 2027. Share your thoughts on this case in the comments below or on social media.
