US EditionAP obtains documents showing Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez has been on DEA’s radar for years
Delcy Rodríguez was designated a DEA priority target in 2022 due to alleged links to drug trafficking, money laundering, and corruption involving Maduro's inner circle, records show.
- Earlier this month, AP-obtained DEA records show Delcy Rodríguez, acting president and former vice president, was labeled a `priority target` in 2022 with a detailed intelligence file dating to at least 2018.
- AP records show probes into Rodríguez's links to government contracts tied to Alex Saab, a confidential informant alleging Isla Margarita hotels launder money, and corrupt deals with Omar Nassif-Sruji.
- Her name appears in nearly a dozen DEA investigations across Paraguay, Ecuador, Phoenix and New York, driven by the Special Operations Division, DEA's Virginia-based unit, three current and former DEA agents said.
- The U.S. government has not publicly accused Rodríguez, and President Donald Trump praised her this past week as a `terrific person`; U.S. officials see the priority label as leverage amid her acting presidency.
- Taken together, the DEA investigations underscore power in Venezuela, ranked third most corrupt by Transparency International, while Rodríguez faces legal risks amid Trump administration tensions over U.S. interests.
35 Articles
35 Articles
DEA has long suspected Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez of ties to drug trade, documents show
Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela's acting president, has been on the radar of the DEA for years for her suspected role in drug trafficking, documents obtained by the AP show.
DEA has opened nearly a dozen investigations into Trump’s pic for Venezuelan president
President Donald Trump met with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado this week, who election monitors said was the rightfully elected president in the 2024 election. But after arresting Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, Trump allowed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez take over. The Associated Press revealed that she has a history of investigations with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), topping nearly a dozen. Documents ob…
AP obtains documents showing Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez has been on DEA’s radar for years
When U.S. President Donald Trump announced the audacious capture of Nicolás Maduro to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S., he portrayed the strongman’s vice president and longtime aide as America’s preferred partner to stabilize Venezuela amid a scourge of drugs, corruption and economic mayhem.
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