> At a Glance
> – Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores were captured by U.S. forces in January 2026
> – Both now face U.S. court charges tied to alleged drug trafficking operations
> – Flores, a former attorney and National Assembly president, has long been seen as Maduro’s top adviser
> – Why it matters: The arrest of Venezuela’s sitting president and first lady marks a dramatic escalation in U.S. efforts to dismantle Maduro’s government
The arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores by U.S. agents in early January 2026 has upended Venezuelan politics. The couple, married since 2013, now stand accused in a U.S. courtroom of running a drug-related criminal enterprise from the presidential palace.
From Presidential Palace to Prison Van
Federal agents escorted the pair-handcuffed-off a plane in New York City on January 5, 2026, according to images released by News Of Los Angeles. President Donald Trump first announced the capture on January 3 via Truth Social, citing “large-scale strikes” across the region aimed at toppling Maduro’s regime.
The U.S. indictment lists four charges against Maduro:
- Narco-terrorism conspiracy
- Cocaine-importation conspiracy
- Possession of machine guns and destructive devices
- Conspiracy to possess the same weapons
Prosecutors say Flores brokered a meeting between a major trafficker and Venezuela’s anti-drug chief and accepted thousands in bribes.
A Political Power Couple Since the 1990s
Flores, born October 15, 1956, in Tinaquillo, studied criminal law in Caracas and worked at a police station while attending university. After Hugo Chávez’s 1992 coup attempt, she visited him in prison and later became his lawyer, helping launch the Bolivarian Revolution.
Maduro, then a union activist, campaigned for Chávez’s release. The two met during street rallies and married in July 2013, months after Maduro won the presidency.
| Position Held by Cilia Flores | Years in Office |
|---|---|
| Attorney General | 2005-2010 |
| President, National Assembly | 2010-2015 |
| First Lady & Senior Adviser | 2013-present |
Maduro calls her the “first combatant,” a title she embraced publicly.
Family and Influence Behind the Scenes
Flores has three sons from a previous marriage to a police detective; Maduro has one child from an earlier marriage. Colleagues say she rarely leaves his side on state trips and shapes key decisions behind closed doors.
Key Takeaways
- January 2026 arrest ends Maduro’s decade-long grip on Venezuela
- Cilia Flores, once one of Venezuela’s most powerful politicians, now co-defendant
- U.S. prosecutors allege the couple used oil money to fund drug operations
- Trial date not yet set; both remain in federal custody
The capture of Venezuela’s sitting president and his influential wife sends shockwaves through Latin American politics and sets the stage for a historic U.S. trial.
