Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that the state is seriously considering whether to bring its own criminal charges against Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, following his capture in a U.S. military operation and transfer to New York to face sweeping federal drug trafficking charges.
Speaking at a news conference in Clearwater, DeSantis said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is “looking very seriously” at potential state-level charges related to narcotics and the alleged importation of criminals into Florida. The governor accused Maduro of deliberately allowing Venezuelan gangs to funnel drugs into the United States and of emptying prisons to push violent criminals across the southern border.
“We’d end up with some of these people in Florida,” DeSantis said. “Tren de Aragua gang members that were in prison there. He did that, and to me, that is a very hostile act.”
DeSantis argued that Maduro’s alleged conduct directly harmed Floridians, saying the state has seen victims of crimes committed by members of the Venezuelan gang. He suggested that without Maduro’s actions, many of those individuals would not have been able to enter the country, even under what he described as the Biden administration’s lax border policies.
“We’ve had people in Florida that have been victimized by Tren de Aragua gang members,” DeSantis said. “And many of those people likely would not have been able to come here legally, even with Biden’s open border, if Maduro had not been releasing people from prison.”
The governor said Uthmeier’s office is reviewing Florida statutes dealing with narcotics offenses as well as laws concerning the “importing” of criminals, signaling that the state could pursue accountability independent of the federal case now underway.
Maduro and his wife appeared in a New York courtroom on Monday, where they entered not guilty pleas to federal drug trafficking charges. During the hearing, Maduro claimed he had been “kidnapped” and referred to himself as a “prisoner of war.” As he was escorted out of the courtroom, a man in the audience shouted that Maduro is an “illegitimate” president.
Federal prosecutors allege that Maduro worked closely with international drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of massive quantities of cocaine into the United States. According to the 25-page indictment, Maduro and his co-defendants helped move thousands of tons of cocaine, using state power and corruption to protect trafficking routes and criminal partners.
If convicted on the federal charges, Maduro could face life in prison, underscoring the severity of the case against him. DeSantis said Florida’s review is about ensuring justice for victims within the state and sending a message that actions taken abroad can have consequences at the state level when Americans are harmed.
The comments reflect DeSantis’ long-standing emphasis on public safety, border enforcement and holding foreign actors accountable when their decisions lead to crime in Florida. While the federal prosecution proceeds in New York, DeSantis made clear that Florida is not content to sit on the sidelines if state laws provide a path to additional charges.
For now, DeSantis said the review is ongoing, but his message was unmistakable: if Maduro’s alleged actions contributed to violence and drug trafficking in Florida, the state will explore every legal option to respond.
