CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Florida Attorney General’s Office is “seriously” considering bringing a state case against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
During a news conference Tuesday in Clearwater, DeSantis said Maduro was “heavily involved” in bringing drugs to Florida, which is why the state is “looking at statutes” to possibly file criminal charges against him.
“I’ve always viewed Maduro as somebody who was illegitimate. And clearly, this most recent election, I mean, was an illegitimate election in 2024 down in Venezuela, so bringing him to justice is absolutely appropriate,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis’ remarks came a day after he expressed his support for the Trump administration’s military operation that led to the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, over the weekend.
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“That operation was successful, he deserves to be brought to justice, and my sincere hope is that the people of Venezuela are going to be able to liberate themselves from the yoke of the Chavez-Maduro reign, because it has been one of the most destructive reigns of any in the Western Hemisphere’s history," DeSantis said Monday.
Maduro had his first appearance in court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to the federal drug trafficking charges that the Trump administration used to justify his removal from power.
“I was captured,” Maduro said in Spanish as translated by a courtroom reporter before being cut off by the judge.
Asked later for his plea to the charges, he stated: “I’m innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country.”