Flores, a lawyer and powerful figure in Venezuela’s ruling party, was captured alongside Maduro and faces U.S. narco-terrorism charges.
WASHINGTON — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured early Saturday during a U.S. military operation in Caracas and flown out of the country to face federal charges. U.S. officials said the overnight operation removed the longtime leader from power amid escalating pressure on his government, while Venezuela’s administration condemned the action as “imperialist.” The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Who is Cilia Flores?
The 69-year-old wife of Maduro is a lawyer and longtime political figure who has been considered one of the most influential women in Venezuela’s ruling socialist movement. She has been Maduro’s partner for more than three decades and served as his closest adviser throughout his presidency.
Justice Department indictment documents explicitly name Flores and Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, accusing them of playing direct roles in drug trafficking and weapons conspiracies tied to the alleged operation.
Born in Tinaquillo, Venezuela, Flores grew up in working-class neighborhoods in Caracas and trained as a lawyer specializing in labor and criminal law. She became involved in politics during the early days of the Chavista movement, providing legal assistance to Hugo Chávez and other military officers after their failed 1992 coup attempt.
It was during that period that she met Maduro, who later rose through the movement’s ranks.
Flores built her own political career after Chávez was elected president. She was first elected to Venezuela’s National Assembly in 2000 and reelected in 2005.
In 2006, she became the first woman to preside over the legislature, a position she held until 2011. She later served as Venezuela’s attorney general from 2012 to 2013 and has held senior roles within the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela.
After Maduro won the presidency in 2013, Flores became first lady, though she adopted the title “first combatant,” rejecting the idea of a typical “first lady” and wielding greater influence.
Flores has remained a polarizing figure over the years, drawing criticism over her tenure in parliament and later facing international sanctions. At the time of her capture, she was serving as a deputy in Venezuela’s National Assembly and remained closely aligned with Maduro’s leadership.