Nicolás Maduro is accused of drug trafficking and terrorism, with charges similar to those of former Honduran president and drug trafficker Juan Orlando Hernández, whom the Trump administration released.

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro is under arrest in the United States and will face charges of narcoterrorism.

However, so far, there has been no mention of the crimes against humanity committed during his term. This could be a strategy to ensure his impunity.

These are the charges Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores face, after being taken from Venezuela during a military intervention in Caracas, where there were bombings and up to 44 deaths were reported.

• Conspiracy for narcoterrorism

• Cocaine trafficking into US territory

• Possession of machine guns and destructive devices
• Conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices
  

To understand the geopolitics behind Trump’s new “war on drugs,” it is necessary to recall the case of Juan Orlando Hernández, the former Honduran president who was convicted of drug trafficking on June 26, 2024. In the federal court of Manhattan, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison, accused of crimes similar to those Maduro faces.

Juan Orlando remained in power for eight consecutive years, even though reelection is illegal in Honduras. During his term, extrajudicial killings, police repression, and the criminalization of political opponents were reported. In addition to having clear ties to drug trafficking, he committed numerous crimes against humanity while president.

On February 15, 2022, images of Juan Orlando Hernández’s arrest went viral around the world. In Central America, this was celebrated by hundreds of citizens who hoped his imprisonment would put an end to his political oppression and to what in Honduras was known as the “narco-dictatorship”.

Juan Orlando served only 3 years and 9 months of his sentence. He received a presidential pardon. On December 1, 2025, after Donald Trump decided to intervene in the last presidential elections in Honduras to favor the far-right candidate, Nasry Asfura.

In Venezuela, a group of UN experts has documented 8,000 extrajudicial killings since 2015 and more than 12,000 arbitrary detentions since 2013. In 2019, a damning report by Michelle Bachelet, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, denounced the militarization of the state, thousands of alleged executions by security forces, and patterns of torture, along with excessive use of force during protests.

As a result of repression and the usurpation of power by Nicolás Maduro, approximately 8 million Venezuelans have had to emigrate from their country, according to a UNHCR report.

Despite Maduro’s arrest, the regime’s structures remain intact. Delcy Rodríguez was appointed president and promised to work closely with the Trump administration. Political prisoners remain in jail.

The Trump administration cares very little about the democratization of Venezuela, just as it cares little about the fight against corruption and drugs in Honduras. That is why Trump released JOH and gave his support to the candidate of the same party during the presidential elections.

The future of Venezuela is uncertain. Donald Trump and his cabinet are more interested in subjugating the region than in democratization or fighting corruption. When it suits him, he can release Maduro, just as he did with Juan Orlando Hernández.