On January 3, 2026, the United States carried out large-scale strikes on military targets in Venezuela, including sites in Caracas and other parts of the country, prompting the Venezuelan government to declare a state of emergency. As the Associated Press reported, citing U.S. officials, the operation lasted less than 30 minutes, while it remained unclear whether Washington planned further attacks. At the time of the strikes, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were outside the country. Later the same day, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that criminal charges had been filed in the Southern District of New York against Maduro and Flores on counts related to narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking, and illegal weapons possession.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that formal charges had been brought in the Southern District of New York against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
According to Bondi, investigators accuse them of participating in a conspiracy involving “narco-terrorism,” organizing the shipment of cocaine into the United States, and possessing weapons and explosive devices that were allegedly intended for use against the United States. “They will soon face American justice on American soil in American courts,” Bondi wrote on X.