WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of State Antony Blinken requesting an explanation of what, if any, legal actions the Department of Justice and State Department have taken to seek the arrest and extradition of Nicolas Maduro since 2021.
“In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice announced indictments against 15 current and former Venezuelan officials, including Nicolas Maduro, for allegedly collaborating with senior members of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia terrorist organization to use cocaine as a weapon to ‘flood’ the United States,” wrote the senators.
“Nevertheless, we have noted that Maduro has traveled at least three times since January 2021 to countries with which the United States has extradition treaties,” continued the senators. “In September 2021, Maduro attended a meeting of Latin American officials in Mexico. In May 2023, Maduro traveled to Brazil. This October, Maduro had the nerve to travel to Mexico again to participate in conversations about the illegal immigration crisis caused in great part by the actions of the narco-terrorist organization he leads.”
“Failure to enforce the U.S. indictment of Nicolas Maduro prolongs the illegal immigration and illicit drug crisis threatening the security of the United States and the Western Hemisphere at large. Therefore, we ask that you inform us by November 26, 2023, what, if any, legal actions you took to seek the arrest and extradition of Nicolas Maduro during his international travels since January 2021,” concluded the senators.
Full text of the letter can be found here and below:
Dear Attorney General Garland and Secretary Blinken,
We are deeply concerned about the ability of Nicolas Maduro, a fugitive of U.S. justice, to elude arrest and extradition despite numerous international trips since January 2021. We ask that you share with Congress what, if any, legal actions your departments have taken to seek the arrest and extradition of Mr. Maduro since January 2021.
In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice announced indictments against 15 current and former Venezuelan officials, including Nicolas Maduro, for allegedly collaborating with senior members of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia terrorist organization to use cocaine as a weapon to “flood” the United States.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said that “[t]he scope and magnitude of the drug trafficking alleged was made possible only because Maduro and others corrupted the institutions of Venezuela and provided political and military protection for the rampant narco-terrorism crimes described in our charges.” Unfortunately, the actions of the Maduro regime have made this situation much worse. Recent revelations of information from the Colombian judicial system corroborate these allegations.
Nevertheless, we have noted that Maduro has traveled at least three times since January 2021 to countries with which the United States has extradition treaties. In September 2021, Maduro attended a meeting of Latin American officials in Mexico. In May 2023, Maduro traveled to Brazil. This October, Maduro had the nerve to travel to Mexico again to participate in conversations about the illegal immigration crisis caused in great part by the actions of the narco-terrorist organization he leads.
Failure to enforce the U.S. indictment of Nicolas Maduro prolongs the illegal immigration and illicit drug crisis threatening the security of the United States and the Western Hemisphere at large. Therefore, we ask that you inform us by November 26, 2023, what, if any, legal actions you took to seek the arrest and extradition of Nicolas Maduro during his international travels since January 2021.
Sincerely,
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