SUMMARY
The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed criminal charges in four federal districts against 14 Venezuelans, including President Nicolas Maduro, ANC president Diosdado Cabello, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, and former military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal. The centerpiece was a Southern District of New York "narco-terrorism" indictment that described a more than two-decade criminal partnership between government insiders and FARC commanders to ship cocaine into the United States. The State Department announced a reward of up to USD 15 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Maduro, and USD 10 million for each of the other indicted leaders.
OUTCOME
The indictment became the foundational document for the "Cartel de los Soles" case in U.S. courts. Five years later, the rewards rose to USD 50 million for Maduro and USD 25 million for Cabello, and the entire organization was FTO-designated in November 2025.
INVOLVED MEMBERS
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