Here are the charges against Nicolás Maduro after US capture

WASHINGTON – Venezuela’s President Nicolás  Maduro was indicted in New York on federal charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and two illegal weapons counts based on allegations he helped ship tons of cocaine to the United States over a period of decades.

The indictment accuses Maduro of trafficking cocaine during his 25-year career serving in public posts. He was charged along with his wife, a son and top members of his administration. The indictment also seeks to seize any belongings that resulted from the alleged criminal conspiracy.

“The illegitimate dictator Maduro was the kingpin of a vast criminal network responsible for trafficking colossal amounts of deadly illicit drugs into the United States," President Donald Trump told reporters.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, were captured Jan. 3 during a U.S. military attack on Venezuela.

“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on social media.

Maduro is accused of moving loads of cocaine under the protection of Venezuelan law enforcement while he was a member of the national assembly, according to the indictment.

As minister of foreign affairs, the charges say he provided diplomatic passports to drug traffickers and facilitated cover for planes used by money launderers, the indictment said.

Maduro “sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking,” the indictment said. As the country’s president, Maduro “allows cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members."

Vice President JD Vance said that Maduro’s capture was legitimate because he faces multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism.

“You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas,” Vance said on social media.

Other defendants include:

• Diosdado Cabello Rondon, Venezuela's minister of interior, justice and peace. Cabello Rondon was charged with helping dispatch 5.5 tons of cocaine aboard a DC-9 from Venezuela to Mexico in 2006. He is accused of receiving $2.5 million for the shipment.
• Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, the former minister of interior and justice. Rodriguez Chacin allegedly accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to shield a large-scale drug trafficker from arrest and extradition.
• First lady Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro allegedly accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to broker a 2007 meeting between a large-scale drug trafficker and the director of Venezuela’s national anti-drug office.
• The president’s son, Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, is a member of the country’s national assembly and nicknamed “the prince.” Maduro Guerra visited Margarita Island, Venezuela, about twice a month in 2014 and 2015 aboard a Falcon 900 plane that would be loaded with packages that allegedly held drugs. In 2017, he allegedly worked to ship hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Venezuela to Miami.
• Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the alleged leader of the crime gang Tren de Aragua. He is accused of engaging in murder, kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking, gun trafficking, prostitution, sex trafficking, robbery and money laundering for more than a decade.

Maduro and his wife landed in New York on Jan. 3 to face charges. He is scheduled to be arraigned at noon on Jan. 5 in federal court.