US indicts Venezuela's Maduro on narcoterrorism charges

MIAMI (AP) - Nicolás Maduro effectively converted Venezuela into a criminal enterprise at the service of drug traffickers and terrorist groups as he and his allies stole billions from the South American country, the Justice Department charged in several indictments made public Thursday against the embattled socialist leader and his inner circle.

The coordinated unsealing of indictments against 14 officials and government-connected individuals, and rewards of $55 million for Maduro and four others, attacked all the key planks of what Attorney General William Barr called the 'œcorrupt Venezuelan regime," including the Maduro-dominated judiciary and the powerful armed forces.

One indictment by prosecutors in New York accused Maduro and socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello, head of the rubber-stamping constitutional assembly, of conspiring with Colombian rebels and members of the military 'œto flood the United States with cocaine'ť and use the drug trade as a 'œweapon against America.'ť

Criminal acts to advance a drug and weapons conspiracy that dates back to the start of Hugo Chavez's revolution in 1999 occurred as far afield as Syria, Mexico, Honduras and Iran, the indictment alleged. Barr estimated that the conspiracy helped smuggle as much as 250 metric tons of cocaine a year are out of South America.

Maduro blasted back by accusing the U.S. and Colombia of 'œgiving orders to flood Venezuela with violence.'ť He called Donald Trump a 'œracist cowboy'ť and warned that he is ready to fight by whatever means necessary should the U.S. and neighboring Colombia dare to invade.

His chief prosecutor announced an investigation against opposition leader Juan Guaidó after one of the individuals indicted on drug charges, retired army Gen. Cliver Alcala, said in a radio interview Thursday that he signed a contract with the opposition leader and his American 'œadvisers'ť to purchase U.S. assault rifles for a planned coup against Maduro. Guaidó's team said he has never met Alcala, who has been living openly in Colombia since 2018 despite having been previously sanctioned by the U.S. for drug smuggling.

As the U.S. indictments were announced, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the State Department would offer cash rewards for information leading to the arrests or convictions of Maduro and his associates, including rewards of up to $15 million for Maduro and up to $10 million each for four others.

'œThe Maduro regime is awash in corruption and criminality,'ť Barr said in an online news conference from Washington. 'œWhile the Venezuelan people suffer, this cabal lines their pockets with drug money, and the proceeds of their corruption. And this has to come to an end.'ť

In Miami, prosecutors charged Supreme Court Chief Justice Maikel Moreno with laundering in the U.S. at least $3 million in illegal proceeds from case fixing in Venezuela, including one involving a General Motors factory. Much of the money he spent on private aircraft, luxury watches and shopping at Prada, prosecutors allege. Maduro's Defense Minister, Gen. Vladimir Padrino, was charged with conspiracy to smuggle narcotics in a May 2019 indictment unsealed in Washington.

The shock indictment of a functioning head of state is highly unusual and is bound to ratchet up tensions between Washington and Caracas as the spread of the coronavirus threatens to collapse Venezuela's health system and oil-dependent economy driven deep into the ground by years of corruption and U.S. sanctions. Maduro has ordered Venezuelans to stay home to try to stave off the spread of the virus that officials say has infected 106 people.

Analysts said the indictments could boost U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election chances in the key swing state of Florida, which he won by a narrow margin in 2016 and where Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans fleeing authoritarian regimes have political muscle.

But its unclear how it brings Venezuela any closer to ending a 15-month standoff between Maduro, who has the support of Russia and China, and the U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó. It also could fragment the U.S.-led coalition against Maduro if European and Latin American allies think the Trump administration is overreaching.

'œThis kind of action does nothing to help a negotiated solution - something that's already really difficult,'ť said Roberta Jacobson, who served as the State Department's top diplomat for Latin America until 2018.

Maduro, a 57-year-old former bus driver, portrays himself as an everyman icon of the Latin American left. He's long accused the U.S. "empire" of looking for any excuse to take control of the world's largest oil reserves, likening its plotting to the 1989 invasion of Panama and the removal of strongman Gen. Manuel Noriega to face drug trafficking charges in Florida.

Barr and Elliott Abrams, the State Department's special envoy on Venezuela, are driving the hawkish U.S. stance toward Maduro much as they pushed for Noriega's ouster in the late 1980s - Barr as a senior Justice Department official and Abrams as assistant secretary of state for Latin America.

U.S. officials see other parallels as well. Noriega transformed Panama into a playground for violent, international drug cartels while the Trump administration has accused Maduro and his military henchmen of harboring drug traffickers, guerrillas from Colombia and even Hezbollah, a designated terrorist group.

They also have accused government officials together with well-connected businessmen of stealing hundreds of billions of dollars from the state coffers, much of it from state oil giant PDVSA, which has seen its production plunge to a seven-decade low.

Still, charging Maduro was no easy task. Sitting foreign leaders normally enjoy immunity from prosecution under U.S. law and international norms.

But the U.S. is among 60 countries that no longer consider Maduro a head of state even if he does hold de facto power. They instead recognize Guaidó, the head of congress, as Venezuela's rightful leader following the socialist's re-election in a 2018 race marred by allegations of fraud and an opposition boycott.

The evidence against Maduro was collected over several years by investigators in Miami, New York, Houston and Washington who have brought drug trafficking, foreign bribery and money-laundering charges against several senior Venezuelan officials, members of the military and government-connected businessmen.

Much of those probes have focused on PDVSA, which is the source of practically all of Venezuela's export revenue. The U.S. last year sanctioned PDVSA, barring Americans from doing business with the oil giant.

But to the surprise of many, Chavez's hand-picked heir has stubbornly clung to power, withstanding months of street protests last year and even a U.S.-backed military revolt all the while millions of Venezuelan migrants flee hyperinflation and widespread food shortages.

With support on the streets for Guaidó fading, the Trump administration raised the ante last fall, withdrawing support for a Norway-sponsored mediation effort and extending sanctions so that even foreign companies faced retaliation for extending Maduro a lifeline.

Separately, Barr, echoing calls from Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, prioritized investigations into Maduro's inner circle, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal Justice Department deliberations.

The pressure to deliver, the people said, went into overdrive around the time when Guaidó visited Washington in February and Trump praised him as his guest at the State of the Union address as 'œa very brave man, who carries with him the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all Venezuelans.'ť

But the coronavirus pandemic delayed the announcement, originally scheduled for March 16, according to the people.

The virus is likely to further distract Washington and threatens to splinter the opposition, some of whom have expressed a willingness to work with Maduro to stem the medical crisis. It could also give new life to Maduro's call for the U.S. to ease sanctions, an idea that several European allies have also warmed to.

Frank Mora, a former Pentagon official, said the U.S. is right to condemn Maduro and others for repressing his people, stealing from state coffers and turning Venezuela into a criminal state.

But he worries the indictments play more into the emotion of Latino voters in Florida than help address the country's grinding crisis.

'œWe're not going to go in and capture him,'ť said Mora, who now heads the Latin America studies institute at Florida International University. 'œThis isn't about regime change or restoring democracy to Venezuela. It's about electoral politics.'ť

The political divide that runs deep in Venezuela was reflected Thursday on the streets of Petare, a sweeping slum on the edge of Caracas.

A street vendor and staunch Maduro backer, Juvenal Montilla, 60, said the U.S. indictment was just another dangerous step by a 'œcrazy'ť Trump.

'œWe're sick and tired of the United States getting into the business of countries around the world without anyone paying any attention,'ť Montilla said.

But 40-year-old taxi driver Grégorio Velásquez said he would back the U.S. or anybody who can bring a swift end to years of failed socialist rule.

'œThere's no water, no lights, no food. How can we survive like this?'ť said Velásquez, 40, as he waited in line to fill up his car amid widespread shortages that have worsened during the pandemic. 'œMaduro has to leave immediately.'ť

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Smith reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press writers Jim Mustian in New York and Michael Balsamo and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.