Venezuela interim president Delcy Rodríguez was DEA ‘priority target’
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Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez was featured in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intelligence files dating back several years and labeled a “priority target” in 2022, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
The documents show that the DEA had intelligence files on Rodríguez dating back to at least 2018; His name appears in numerous investigations at several US and international field offices, but he has never been publicly charged with any criminal offenses. exit reported.
The DEA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The designation “primary target” is used by the agency to focus investigative resources on individuals or organizations believed to play a significant role in major drug trafficking or money laundering operations affecting the United States. accordingly 2008 RIA assessment.
VENEZUELA’S VICE PRESIDENT SAYS ‘NEW POLITICAL MOMENT’, HINTS ON RELEASE MORE POLITICAL PRISONERS
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Delcy Rodríguez attend Maduro’s second term swearing-in ceremony at the Congress in Caracas on May 24, 2018. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)
Rodríguez was officially sworn in as Venezuela’s new leader on January 5, just two days after US forces forced Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their Caracas compound in an early morning military operation.
Maduro and Flores were detained by the United States and sent to New York to face federal charges.
Maduro is charged with four crimes: conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. His wife is charged with three charges: conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
TRUMP PLANS TO MEET WITH VENEZUELA OPPOSITION LEADER MARIA CORINA MACHADO NEXT WEEK
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 5: Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are seen in handcuffs after landing at a helipad in Manhattan; Heavily armed Federal agents make their way to an armored vehicle as they head to the Federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026, in New York City. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
The White House has been working with Rodríguez for weeks since Maduro’s ouster. President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he spoke with Rodríguez on the phone and praised him as a “great person.”
“We discussed many things and I think we got along very well with Venezuela,” he said.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado criticized Rodríguez for the Trump administration’s contact with the Maduro ally, arguing that he does not represent the Venezuelan people.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez speaks during the presentation of the 2025 budget bill at the National Assembly in Caracas on December 3, 2024. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
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Speaking at a Heritage Foundation event on Friday, Machado said: “I want to insist on this: Delcy Rodríguez, yes, he is a communist. He is the main ally and representative of the Russian regime, the Chinese and the Iranians, but it is not the Venezuelan people and it is not the armed forces.” he said.
“So I’m very confident that we’ll have an orderly transition. This is a complicated phase that we’re in right now. Some of the dirty work is being done by them,” he added. “But the result of a steady transition will be a proud Venezuela that will be the best ally the United States has ever had in America.”
