Secretary cites SDNY indictments, calls Maduro regime "illegitimate" as U.S. steps up maritime enforcement

The Secretary of State told reporters the administration does not consider Nicolás Maduro a legitimate leader and cited criminal indictments to justify U.S. sanctions and enforcement actions targeting Venezuelan officials and transshipment networks.

"Do we consider Maduro legitimate? No," the Secretary said, later noting that "a grand jury in the Southern District of New York was presented evidence and came back with an indictment" that names Maduro and multiple regime figures in narcotics and money‑laundering charges.

On enforcement, the Secretary described recent maritime strikes and seizures as lawful actions enforcing existing sanctions and court orders. He said these operations have reduced trafficking activity in the Caribbean Basin and that some vessels are being tracked from origin to interdiction. "There are boat strikes we don't take because they don't meet the criteria, the legal criteria," he said, adding U.S. briefings to Congress and judicial warrants accompany enforcement.

The Secretary also declined to predict whether regime change is an explicit policy goal, saying the primary U.S. interest is disrupting networks that threaten U.S. national security and disrupt the hemisphere. He cited indictments and a multi‑million‑dollar reward program tied to some suspects as evidence that allegations against regime actors rest on legal filings rather than political rhetoric.

He said the administration has withheld recognition of Maduro and aims to pressure the regime through sanctions and enforcement while exploring possible diplomatic avenues involving regional partners such as Brazil.