NEW YORK – U.S. federal prosecutors are accusing Cilia Flores of personally participating in an alleged cocaine-trafficking operation linked to Nicolás Maduro, including claims that she received bribes, helped protect drug shipments and participated in an organization that used armed groups and violence to protect its activities.
The allegations form part of the federal criminal case against Flores and Maduro. They are accusations contained in the indictment and have not been proven at trial. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.
According to prosecutors, around 2007 Flores allegedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars to facilitate a meeting between a drug trafficker and Néstor Reverol, who at the time headed Venezuela’s National Anti-Drug Office.
Prosecutors allege that Flores subsequently received a portion of payments intended to ensure the safe passage of flights carrying cocaine.
The indictment also alleges that between approximately 2004 and 2015, Flores and Maduro worked together to traffic cocaine, including drugs that had previously been seized by Venezuelan authorities.
According to the prosecution, military security personnel were used to assist in moving the narcotics.
The U.S. government further alleges that Flores and Maduro relied on armed groups known as colectivos to protect their drug-trafficking activities.
Prosecutors accuse them of ordering kidnappings, beatings and killings targeting people who owed drug-related debts or who interfered with the alleged operation.
The accusations against Flores are significant because prosecutors are portraying her not simply as someone associated with Maduro, but as an alleged participant in her own right in parts of the purported trafficking network.
Flores and Maduro deny the charges and have entered not-guilty pleas. Their trial is currently scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027.
The allegations remain unproven, and prosecutors will have to establish the charges in court before either defendant can be convicted.