U.S. Charges Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro with Narco-Terrorism

The United States has formally accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a violent drug trafficking conspiracy. The U.S. Justice Department unsealed new criminal charges against him on Tuesday. The indictment alleges that Maduro and his top allies conspired to "flood the United States with cocaine." U.S. officials describe the group as a "narco-terrorism" organization. They claim it used drug profits to fund a violent campaign to keep Maduro in power. Charges were also filed against Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, and Venezuela's defense minister. The U.S. State Department is offering a $15 million reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest. The Venezuelan government immediately rejected the charges. It called the move a political attack by the Trump administration. Maduro and his associates are now among the most senior foreign officials ever charged by the U.S. with international narcotics terrorism.