The superseding federal indictment unsealed against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, immediately after his capture by US forces, closely resembles 2020 charges but includes new twists. It appears to embrace controversial claims by the Trump administration about the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).
One of Maduro's five co-defendants is alleged TdA founder Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, indicted separately two weeks ago. The indictment does not allege Maduro ever met Guerrero Flores, but builds a case for what critics call Donald Trump's exaggerated and unsubstantiated allegations about TdA. Trump has repeatedly claimed Venezuela's government intentionally sent the gang to the US to commit crimes and spread chaos.
Trump's interest in TdA dates back to 2024, when gang members were accused of taking control of an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado. Law enforcement at the time described TdA as vicious but not a major international threat. Nonetheless, Trump designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organisation on his first day in office and invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport purported members without hearings, calling TdA an invading force sent by Maduro.
Intelligence from US agencies contradicted Trump's claims. A national intelligence memorandum in April stated that the Maduro regime probably does not coordinate with TdA or direct its movement to the United States. The new indictment does not specify Maduro's connection to TdA, but says he and others 'partnered with narco-terrorists', including TdA.
A local police detective who investigated TdA said the gang was brutal but that interrogated members had not been directed by the Venezuelan government or their own leadership to come to the US. A former Drug Enforcement Administration official said there was solid evidence of Maduro profiting from the cocaine trade, but no personal connection to TdA.
