No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrimeNephews of Venezuelan first lady deny US drug charges

Nephews of Venezuelan first lady deny US drug charges

NEW YORK – Two nephews of Venezuela’s first lady appeared in a Manhattan court Thursday and denied charges of conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States.

Efraín Antonio Campo Flores, 29, and Francisco Flores de Freitas, 30, were arrested in Haiti in November and flown to New York by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

They are sons of brothers of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s wife Cilia Flores. She also served as speaker of the National Assembly from 2006 to 2011.

The men appeared at a hearing before Judge Paul Crotty and denied charges they had plotted to smuggle at least five kilograms of cocaine into the United States.

Campo Flores was crying as he walked into the courtroom.

Both men, wearing blue prison jumpsuits, said “no culpable” — not guilty in Spanish — when the judge asked them to enter a plea.

The judge scheduled another hearing for Feb. 29.

Venezuela drug trafficking: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores.
Federico Parra/AFP

During Thursday’s session, defense and prosecution lawyers briefly discussed evidence presented by the government’s side, including hours of audio and video that allegedly implicates the two young men in drug smuggling plans. Besides the Haiti case, the two men are accused of taking part in meetings to plan a shipment of cocaine to the United States via Honduras. If convicted they face up to life in prison.

The speaker of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, has likened their arrest at a posh hotel in Haiti to a kidnapping by the DEA.

Venezuela, meanwhile, lashed out at what it called “judicial terrorism” by the United States in another high-profile drug case, this time against the chief of the Venezuelan national guard, Néstor Reverol.

See: Venezuela national guard chief accused in US drug trafficking indictment

A soon-to-be-unsealed indictment accuses Reverol of taking bribes from drug traffickers to tip them off to raids and block drug investigations, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

“Venezuela expresses its deepest rejection of U.S. foreign policy, which uses police and judicial terrorism by national agencies,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Maduro’s government is on the defensive in Venezuela after suffering a landslide defeat to the opposition in legislative elections this month.

Trending Now

Former Costa Rican President Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Faces Trial

Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, who served as Costa Rica’s president from 1998 to 2002, returned to court on today, to face charges in the so-called...

End of Air Canada Strike Brings Relief for Costa Rica-Bound Passengers

Air Canada flight attendants ended their strike Tuesday after reaching a tentative agreement with the airline, paving the way for flights to resume gradually....

President Chaves Downplays Costa Rica’s Security Crisis Amid Record Homicides

President Rodrigo Chaves brushed off concerns about Costa Rica's surging violence during his Wednesday press conference, insisting the security situation "is not as serious"...

Costa Rica’s Role in US Deportation Drama with Salvadoran Migrant

A Salvadoran man at the center of a heated US immigration battle could end up in Costa Rica if he accepts a guilty plea,...

Costa Rica’s Sibö Chocolate Wins Bronze at Int’l Awards

Chocolate Sibö once again stood out at the International Chocolate Awards, the largest fine chocolate competition based in New York. The Costa Rican brand...

El Salvador Schools Enforce Military-Style Uniform Inspections

El Salvador's public schools will start enforcing daily inspections for students' uniforms and haircuts from August 20, as ordered by the new education minister,...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica