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Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/strong> and wife Cilia Flores<\/strong> have been captured and flown out of the country, US President Donald Trump<\/strong> announced early Saturday, following months of military pressure<\/a> on the country. The detention was part of a \u201clarge scale strike against Venezuela and its leader,\u201d Trump said, which included multiple explosions reported on military bases in the capitol city of Caracas and the deaths of an unknown number of Venezuelan officials, military personnel, and civilians across the region.<\/p>\n Attorney General Pam Bondi<\/strong> says via X<\/a> that Maduro and Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. The Venezuelan president faces charges of \u201cNarco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States,” Bondi says. Both \u201cwill soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,\u201d Bondi says.<\/p>\n Those charges echo a 2020 indictment<\/a> handed down by US federal court that named Maduro and 14 other officials in claims that included drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. The Department of Justice released a new indictment Saturday, reports the Associated Press<\/a>, in which Maduro is accused as the head of \u201ca corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.\u201d<\/p>\n In August, the US Department of State issued a \u201cwanted\u201d poster<\/a> offering a reward \u201cof up to $50 million\u201d for information leading to Maduro’s \u201carrest and\/or conviction.” In a press release<\/a>, the State Department accused Maduro of rigging Venezuela’s most recent presidential election, in which Maduro was awarded his third term as president. He also \u201chelped manage and ultimately lead the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization comprised of high-ranking Venezuelan officials,\u201d the State Department claims. He is \u201cthe first target in the history of the Narcotics Rewards Program with a reward offer exceeding $25 million,\u201d according to the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n According to a statement from the Venezuelan communications ministry, the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira were also struck in the attack. The Venezuelan government has declared a state of emergency, with Venezuelan vice-president Delcy Rodr\u00edguez<\/strong> saying via televised statement \u201cWe do not know the whereabouts of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. We demand proof of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n