U.S. Indicts Venezuelan First Lady, Sons in Drug-Trafficking Case
Source: wsj.com
- U.S. prosecutors charged Venezuelan First Lady Cilia Flores and her family with leading a drug-trafficking organization that sent cocaine to the U.S.
- The group allegedly used official Venezuelan planes to smuggle tons of drugs and laundered money through U.S. businesses.
- Arrests include Flores's sons and nephews, marking a major blow to Venezuela's government inner circle.
U.S. authorities unsealed indictments accusing Cilia Flores, Venezuela's first lady and a top ally of President Nicolas Maduro, along with her sons and nephews, of running a major cocaine trafficking ring. The charges detail how they transported drugs from Venezuela to the U.S. using government aircraft and laundered profits through American companies. This case exposes deep corruption in Maduro's regime and could strain U.S.-Venezuela relations further amid ongoing sanctions.