INTERNACIONAL
Maduro-backed TdA gang’s expansion into US cities emerges as key focus of sweeping DOJ indictment
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The U.S. military carried out a «large-scale strike» on Venezuela Saturday morning, capturing the nation’s dictatorial leader, Nicolás Maduro, who will face sweeping criminal charges on U.S. soil, according to an unsealed indictment released by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Maduro, who was elected in 2013 and served as Hugo Chavez’s vice president, is facing charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the U.S.
«It’s just it was an amazing thing, the amazing job that these people did. There’s nobody else could have done anything like it,» Trump said of the operation.
REPUBLICANS LINE UP BEHIND TRUMP AFTER US STRIKES VENEZUELA, MADURO ARRESTED: ‘CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY’
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro addresses supporters during a rally marking the anniversary of the 19th-century Battle of Santa Ines in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 10, 2025. (Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images))
The unsealed indictment focuses on how Maduro allegedly enriched himself and «political elites» by reportedly partnering with vicious gangs and drug cartels that have established syndicates across the Western Hemisphere, including in the U.S., such as New York. The indictment lists six individuals as defendants, including Maduro, his wife, his son and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of a vicious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua.
The indictment alleges that Maduro «sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.»
President Donald Trump has railed against drug cartels for spreading deadly narcotics such as fentanyl in U.S. communities, leading to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths since 2000. Trump has directed his ire at gangs such as Tren de Aragua, which Trump designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization last year.
The indictment accuses Maduro and his co-conspirators — including Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and former Interior Minister Ramón Rodríguez Chacín — of partnering with narco-terrorists, including the Tren de Aragua gang and its leader, to distribute cocaine since at least 1999.
FROM BUS DRIVER TO DICTATOR: NICOLÁS MADURO’S RISE AND FALL IN VENEZUELA
«In sum, MADURO MOROS and his co-conspirators have, for decades, partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world, and relied on corrupt officials throughout the region, to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States,» the indictment states.
In this handout photo provided by the Salvadoran government, guards escort inmates allegedly linked to criminal organizations at CECOT prison on March 16, 2025 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. The Trump administration deported 238 alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal organizations ‘Tren De Aragua’ and MS-13. (Salvadoran Government via Getty Images)
The indictment alleges that Maduro «participates in, perpetuates, and protects a culture of corruption in which powerful Venezuelan elites enrich themselves through drug trafficking and the protection of their partner drug traffickers.» The indictment describes that defendants worked in coordination with cartels and gangs such as Mexico’s the Zetas, Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Colombian group ELN, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army, and Tren de Aragua.
«TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States, including New York,» the indictment said. «TdA’s criminal activities include human smuggling and other illicit acts. TdA has developed additional revenue sources through a range of other criminal activities, including drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other acts of violence to enforce and further the organization’s criminal activities.»
MADURO SAYS VENEZUELA IS ‘READY’ TO MAKE DEAL WITH US ON DRUGS AND OIL AFTER MILITARY STRIKES
Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of working with cartels, while underscoring how the foreign gangs have infiltrated the U.S. and spread violence and addiction.
President Donald Trump speaks to a gathering of top U.S. military commanders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Quantico, Va. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
«TdA operates in conjunction with Cártel de los Soles, the Nicolás Maduro regime-sponsored, narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking,» Trump wrote in a March 2025 presidential proclamation.
He doubled down in his press conference on Saturday, warning that «all political and military figures in Venezuela should understand what happened to Maduro can happen to them.»
Venezuela has argued that Tren de Aragua is no longer an active cartel and was effectively wiped out in 2023, Reuters previously reported.
Maduro and 14 other current and former Venezuelan officials were previously charged by U.S. federal prosecutors in 2020 on narco-terrorism, corruption and drug trafficking allegations. The January 2025 indictment expands on the 2020 document, including adding Maduro’s son and wife as defendants.
The Venezuelan government said in a statement following the Saturday strike that «the civilian and military localities of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira» were impacted by the attack.
The nation accused the U.S. of committing a «very serious military aggression» against Venezuela and carrying out «imperialist aggression.»
«The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force,» the Government of Venezuela said in a statement. «They will not succeed. After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate Government remain steadfast in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny.»
Pictured are allegedly 17 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador. (El Salvador Press Presidency Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Trump said on Fox News that Maduro and his wife were flown by helicopter to a U.S. military ship. The couple will be transported to New York City, where the dictator is expected to stand trial.
«Yes, the Iwo Jima,» Trump said on Saturday morning on Fox News. «They’ll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out, and they went by helicopter on a nice flight. I’m sure they loved it, but they’ve killed a lot of people.»
The president said he watched the operation from Mar-a-Lago, where he spent the Christmas holiday, and praised the military for its efforts.
Democrats have taken issue with a lack of notice to Congress over the strike, while MAGA Republicans have rallied around Trump’s decision.
Trump held a press conference from Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, where he said the U.S. will «run» Venezuela until there is a safe transition of power.
«We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. So we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in. And we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years. So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. And it has to be judicious because that’s what we’re all about. We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela,» he said.
HERE’S WHERE TRUMP LAUNCHED AIRSTRIKES AROUND THE WORLD IN 2025: ‘PROTECT THE HOMELAND’
The capture and strike follows the U.S. military carrying out dozens of strikes on suspected narco-boats since September. Trump campaigned in-part on ending the flow of deadly narcotics such as fentanyl from other nations – which has lead to surges in overdose deaths across the last two decades – including leveling tariffs on China to curb the flow of such drugs and strengthening the U.S. borders.
Democrat lawmakers are increasingly turning up the heat on the Trump administration over its series of military strikes on suspected foreign drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
Democrats have slammed the Trump administration over its strikes on the suspected narco-boats, with Trump defending that the U.S. is engaged in an «armed conflict» with drug cartels after the groups evolved into transnational terror organizations. Officials previously argued the strikes were necessary to curb the flow of opioid deaths in the U.S., while experts said the pressure campaign on Venezuela is likely aimed to also oust Maduro as leader of the oil-rich nation.
«We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by sea … each boat kills 25, on average, 25,000 people. We knocked out 97%. And those drugs mostly come from a place called Venezuela,» Trump said on Saturday of the boat strikes.
US MILITARY DESTROYS NARCO-TERROR CONVOY OF THREE VESSELS AT SEA IN KINETIC STRIKES
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro. (Maxim Shemetov/AFP/Getty Images))
Foreign adversaries condemned the U.S. over the strike, including the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which reported Saturday that the country is «deeply shocked and strongly condemns the use of force by the U.S. against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country.»
Russia, which is a crucial ally to Venezuela, also condemned the strike and capture in public statements.
«This morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable,» the Russia Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. «The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded. Ideological animosity has prevailed over business pragmatism and the willingness to build relationships based on trust and predictability.»
Bondi warned on X that Maduro and his wife «will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.»
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«On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers,» Bondi wrote.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.
donald trump,military,south america,world
INTERNACIONAL
La dictadura cubana desafía a EEUU: advirtió que no negociará su sistema político “con nadie”
El régimen cubano ha rechazado “categóricamente” cualquier cambio en su sistema político pautado desde Estados Unidos, después de que el presidente Donald Trump asegurase que tendría “el honor” de “tomar o liberar Cuba”, y ha abierto la puerta al establecimiento de una relación cordial entre Washington y La Habana siempre y cuando esta no implique cambios en el régimen político de la nación caribeña.
“Puedo confirmar categóricamente que el sistema político de Cuba no es negociable, y por supuesto ni el presidente ni el cargo de ningún funcionario en Cuba están sujetos a negociación con Estados Unidos”, afirmó el viceministro de Relaciones Exteriores cubano, Carlos Fernández de Cossio, en una rueda de prensa recogida por la Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN).
Fernández de Cossio ha puntualizado que no descartan que las dos naciones puedan alcanzar “determinados acuerdos de interés mutuo” como ya ha ocurrido en “experiencias anteriores”, al tiempo que ha apuntado a la existencia de otros “asuntos de repercusión para los dos países que pueden incluirse de forma prioritaria en las negociaciones”. Por ejemplo, cuestiones relacionadas con la cooperación regional en materia de seguridad nacional y lucha contra el narcotráfico.
En este contexto, el representante cubano de Exteriores ha lamentado la “agresividad” y el “carácter despiadado” de Estados Unidos hacia Cuba, “que ya dura casi siete décadas y provoca daños de toda índole, sobre todo en la vida cotidiana de los cubanos”.
No obstante y pese a la “incapacidad (…) del poder estadounidense de reconocer y aceptar el derecho de la mayor de las Antillas a su soberanía y autodeterminación”, ha apostillado el ministro, “Cuba no es enemiga de Estados Unidos ni representa una amenaza para la nación norteña”.
Estas declaraciones llegan después de que Trump afirmara el lunes pasado que él podría ser quien tenga “el honor” de “tomar Cuba” en referencia a su intención de forzar un acuerdo con las autoridades de La Habana o, de lo contrario, impulsar una intervención más directa.
El magnate neoyorquino se refirió entonces al país caribeño en términos de “nación fallida” y “muy debilitada” y se mostró confiado de poder “hacer cualquier cosa que quiera” con la isla, que este mismo lunes sufrió un apagón total en su red eléctrica. Las autoridades cubanas achacaron estas dificultades al bloqueo energético impuesto por Estados Unidos, que en enero amenazó con aranceles a cualquier país que venda o suministre petróleo a la isla.
Por su parte, este viernes el secretario de Estado Maro Rubio calificó este viernes al régimen de Cuba como un “desastre” en su administración de la isla. Al salir junto a Trump de la Casa Blanca rumbo a Florida, Rubio sostuvo ante la prensa que “Cuba es un desastre, y se debe a su gobierno comunista”. El jefe de la diplomacia estadounidense indicó que el rumbo que buscan las autoridades cubanas “no funciona” y añadió: “Hoy no tengo ninguna novedad para ustedes al respecto, salvo que esto lleva ocurriendo desde hace seis o siete años: son un desastre”.
Estados Unidos ha iniciado un diálogo con Cuba tras la captura del ex dictador Nicolás Maduro en Caracas, el pasado 3 de enero, en una operación estadounidense. Según el Departamento de Estado, el acercamiento busca explorar “vías diplomáticas” para aliviar la crisis humanitaria, aunque las autoridades estadounidenses han descartado solicitar la renuncia inmediata de Miguel Díaz-Canel o exigir la salida de la familia Castro del poder.
Rubio desmintió que el Gobierno de Trump haya pedido a sus interlocutores cubanos la renuncia del dictador Díaz-Canel, e insistió en que no se han exigido cambios inmediatos en la estructura del régimen comunista. Por su parte, el jefe del Comando Sur de Estados Unidos, Francis Donovan, declaró el jueves ante el Congreso que el Ejército estadounidense no está realizando preparativos para una eventual intervención en Cuba. Donovan especificó que Washington solo desplegaría tropas en caso de una “amenaza a la seguridad” de la Embajada estadounidense o de la base de Guantánamo, con el objetivo de “defender a los estadounidenses”.
Cuba atraviesa una de sus peores crisis eléctricas desde la llegada al poder de los revolucionarios liderados por Fidel Castro hace 67 años. El lunes pasado, el Ministerio de Energía informó una “desconexión total” de la red nacional, tras semanas de apagones frecuentes, lo que dejó a toda la isla sin suministro eléctrico. La mayor parte de la electricidad en el país se produce a partir de petróleo, y durante casi tres décadas, el suministro procedente de Venezuela fue fundamental. Sin embargo, en enero, la administración de Trump ordenó la suspensión de estos envíos tras la captura de Nicolás Maduro. Posteriormente, México también interrumpió sus despachos bajo presión estadounidense. Hasta la fecha, ningún otro país ha cubierto el déficit de petróleo en la isla.
(Con información de Europa Press)
INTERNACIONAL
Soros-backed Austin DA faces resignation calls over alleged ‘secret meetings’ in case against cop
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A criminal case tied to the 2020 Austin, Texas, George Floyd riots is erupting into a broader controversy, with prominent law enforcement groups calling for the Soros-backed district attorney to resign over accusations of misconduct, political coordination, and withholding key evidence.
Attorneys for Austin Police Department officer Chance Bretches filed a motion in Travis County district court to dismiss the case against him, alleging prosecutors in DA Jose Garza’s office violated the officer’s constitutional rights and compromised the integrity of the case by not disclosing alleged behind-the-scenes communications with Austin officials about potentially holding the city or police leadership criminally responsible for harming injured protesters.
Bretches is facing charges of aggravated assault by a public servant after being deployed as part of a crowd-control response during the 2020 riot, where officers worked to disperse demonstrators and restore order in downtown Austin. His attorneys argue he relied on department-issued «less-lethal» beanbag rounds that were later called into question, contending the equipment itself was defective and contributed to the injuries at issue.
The alleged «secret meetings» with Austin officials about the city being responsible for the defective beanbag rounds that caused more harm than they were designed for, Bretches’s attorney says, were something the prosecution was «required to give us» because it showed the belief and possibility the city had «criminal culpability» in the case.
TRAVIS COUNTY DA FACES RENEWED ‘SOFT ON CRIME’ CRITICISM AFTER CAREER CRIMINAL CHARGED WITH MURDER
Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza poses in front of the Austin skyline in a portrait from the county website. (Travis County DA Website)
The motion bases its claim of «secret meetings» on two sworn declarations: one from a former Austin city manager, who says he personally met multiple times with Garza and prosecutors in 2023 to discuss potential charges against the city, and another from a former city council member, who says she was aware of internal communications indicating the DA’s office was considering such charge.
«Prosecutors can hold meetings with anybody, there’s nothing illegal about that,» Bretches’ attorney Doug O’Connell told Fox News Digital. «The problem in this case is the district attorney felt he had enough evidence to indict the city as a corporate entity, which would make the city an alternative suspect or an unindicted co-defendant.»
O’Connell argues that Garza triggered disclosure obligations under Brady v. Maryland, which requires prosecutors to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence to the defense.
«If you follow that logic, then the basis of his indictment of the city, which never materialized, is, in fact, Brady,» O’Connell said. «Even if he thought he had enough evidence and later determined he didn’t, it’s still Brady. It’s a violation of the Michael Morton Act, a violation of the court’s order, and the defendant’s constitutional rights.»
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Demonstrators face members of the Austin Police Department as they gather in downtown Austin, Texas, on June 4, 2020, to protest the death of George Floyd. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The Michael Morton Act, a Texas law enacted after a wrongful conviction case, requires prosecutors to turn over most evidence in their possession to the defense, including information that could be favorable to the accused.
O’Connell says that the law mandates that «exculpatory mitigating evidence» must be given to the defense.
«It’s clear they didn’t turn over the evidence of why they felt they could indict the city and the city was legitimately scared about this enough that the city went out and hired their own criminal defense attorney,» O’Connell said. «So one of two things is true, either he had the evidence and he didn’t produce it to us, or he didn’t have any basis to indict the city, and he was just threatening them, and that would be official oppression anyway.»
Two of the most recognized police organizations in the area, Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) and the Austin Police Retired Officers Association (APROA), reacted to the motion by calling on Garza, who has long been accused of harboring animosity toward police, to resign from his role as the county’s top prosecutor.
«It’s kind of the final straw, everything that’s been going on with the continuing political prosecutions of Austin police officers who are out simply doing their job and doing the job the way that we’re trained to do their job,» Farris told Fox News Digital about the APROA’s official letter calling for Garza to step down, the first time they have done so despite intense criticism of Garza over the years.
Garza has faced public blowback from his critics for years over his treatment of police officers and from families of crime victims who have spoken out against what they view as a lack of willingness to put criminal offenders behind bars.
«His focus has been on the cops and now we’re finding out that he did some shady stuff and it’s time for him to go,» Farris said.
After winning an election following a campaign, backed by liberal megadonor George Soros, that pledged to prosecute police officers, Garza indicted over 20 police officers, including Bretches, for their role in quelling the Black Lives Matter riot. Garza has attempted to prosecute multiple other officers on deadly force-related charges with only one successful conviction that was later overturned.
«There can be no worse violation of the oath taken by a District Attorney than to intentionally deny a defendant a fair trial,» Robert Leonard, CLEAT executive director, said about the motion. «It is a direct violation of their Constitutional rights.»
Additionally, O’Connell filed a motion requesting a court of inquiry calling on a district judge to investigate if Garza committed a crime through his actions.
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The shore of Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/American-Statesman/USA TODAY NETWORK)
O’Connell described the move as utilizing an «obscure provision in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure that allows a district court judge to hold a hearing to determine if the law has been violated.»
«In this case, it would be a hearing to determine if the elected DA and top lieutenants committed an offense of official oppression and tampering with evidence by not producing the mitigating or exculpatory evidence in this case.»
While some in local media have cast doubt on the likelihood of the motion being successful, O’Connell says he is optimistic that he will be granted a hearing on his motion, possibly on a previously scheduled court date on April 7.
Fox News Digital reached out to Garza’s office for comment.
«We are not going to litigate this case in the press,» Garza’s office said in a statement this week to local media vowing to carry on with their case.
«We remain ready to try this case and expect to start the trial in June as previously agreed with the defense. Justice delayed is justice denied, and four years is too long to wait. It is time for the community to weigh in on whether they believe that the defendant’s actions violated the law.»
politics,austin,george soros,police and law enforcement
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