Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez has been referenced in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intelligence files from multiple years prior and was categorized as a “priority target” in 2022, per documents acquired by The Associated Press.
The documents indicate the DEA has maintained intelligence files on Rodríguez since at least 2018, with her name featured in various investigations across numerous U.S. and international field offices—though she has never faced public accusations of criminal activity, as reported.
The DEA did not provide an immediate response to Digital’s request for comment.
The “priority target” label is utilized by the agency to direct investigative resources toward individuals or groups suspected of playing a key role in large-scale drug trafficking or money laundering activities impacting the United States, according to a 2008 DEA evaluation.
Rodríguez was officially sworn in as Venezuela’s new leader on January 5, just two days after U.S. forces removed [missing name] and his wife Cilia Flores from their Caracas compound during an early-morning military operation.
Maduro and Flores were [missing verb] and transported by plane to New York to answer federal charges.
Maduro faces four charges: 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 counts: conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
The White House has been [missing verb] in the weeks following Maduro’s removal. President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he had a phone conversation with Rodríguez and described her as a “terrific person.”
“We talked about many topics, and I believe we’re [missing phrase],” he stated.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado condemned Rodríguez as the Trump administration interacts with the Maduro ally, asserting that she does not represent the Venezuelan populace.
“I want to emphasize this: Delcy Rodríguez is a communist. She is the primary ally and representative of the Russian, Chinese, and Iranian regimes—but that is not the Venezuelan people, nor is it the armed forces,” she said during a Heritage Foundation event on Friday.
“Therefore, I am deeply, deeply confident that we will achieve an orderly transition. We are currently in a complex phase. They are handling some of the unsavory tasks,” she added. “However, the outcome of a stable transition will be a proud Venezuela that becomes the best ally the United States has ever had in the Americas.”