Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro reportedly charged by U.S. in drug trafficking scheme

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro will reportedly be charged by the U.S. in a drug trafficking scheme that involves much of the Venezuelan government.

The U.S. is set to unveil charges against Maduro and other leaders of his government on Thursday, multiple sources tell The New York Times and CNN. The charges include narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S., among other charges that are still unclear, per the Times.

The charges come after a federal investigation involving authorities in New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami. Venezuelan intelligence officials, government leaders, and the Colombian rebel group FARC — a U.S.-designated terrorist group — will reportedly be charged alongside Maduro.

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Maduro still stands as the president of Venezuela despite the U.S. declaring opposition leader Juan Guaidó the legitimate president a year ago. Maduro's election was full of allegations of corruption, and it seemed a top priority of the U.S. to oust him. That pressing issue seemed to have faded, though Guaidó did attend President Trump's State of the Union address last month, where Trump declared "Maduro's grip on tyranny will be smashed and broken."