When the United States conducted anovernight military strike on Venezuelaon Saturday morning, Jan. 3, not only was the nation's leader,Nicolás Maduro, captured, but so was his wife, Cilia Flores.
Flores, 69, and her husband have been indicted in the Southern District of New York; however, U.S. Attorney GeneralPam Bondidid not initially share the charges against the Venezuelan former first lady. According to anX post shared by Bondi, Maduro is facing charges of "Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States."
Maduro and Flores are expected to arrive at New York Stewart International Airport in Orange County, New York, about 80 minutes north of Manhattan, on Saturday, Jan. 3, according toCBS Newsand MS Now. The couple was captured in Caracas, Venezuela, and flown by helicopter to theUSS Iwo Jima, which is an amphibious assault ship.President Donald Trump posted an imageof Maduro aboard the warship on Truth Social.
"We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump said during a news conference on Saturday following the strike.
With all eyes on Venezuela, here's what to know about the nation's former first lady.
The United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight military operation on Jan. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump said, as explosions rocked Caracas and targets across the country. See Maduro's years of leadership in photos, beginning here after he was sworn in for a third six-year term, in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 10, 2025." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
See moments from Nicolás Maduro's years of leadership in Venezuela
The United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduroand his wife in an overnight military operation on Jan. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump said, as explosions rocked Caracas and targets across the country. See Maduro's years of leadership in photos, beginning here after he was sworn in for a third six-year term, in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 10, 2025.
Who is Cilia Flores?
Flores is a Venezuelan lawyer and politician. Since 2015, she has served as a deputy in the National Assembly of Venezuela, of which she was president from 2006 to 2011, for her home state of Cojedes. She also previously served as Venezuela's attorney general from 2012 to 2013.
Throughout her legal career, Flores gained a reputation as a tough attorney, particularly after she led the defense team of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and helped secure his release from prison in 1994, following an unsuccessful coup in 1992, according toReuters.
Flores became Venezuela's first lady when Maduro won the 2013 presidential election over Henrique Capriles.
"She has a fiery character. What you saw of her in parliament, that's exactly what she is like at home," Maduro said about his wife during a rally on his campaign trail, per Reuters.
How did Cilia Flores gain prominence in Venezuela?
Being Maduro's wife did not solely propel Flores to prominence in Venezuela, as the law graduate from Caracas' Santa Maria University gained attention in 1994 when she defended Chávez and helped secure his release from prison, according to Reuters.
Four years after Chávez's release, Flores assisted him in winning the 1998 presidential election in Venezuela. Chávez served as Venezuela's president for 14 years until his death in March 2013.
Flores became "the most powerful woman in Venezuelan politics" following Chávez's presidential win, per Reuters. The former president was the one to name Flores his attorney general in 2012.
As Chávez died from cancer, Flores became a defender of the nation's government at key moments, including defending it against opposition accusations about a possible power vacuum.
"She has been an excellent official who completed the president's instructions to the letter," a senior National Assembly official who worked closely with Flores told Reuters in 2013.
The same official predicted that Flores would be her newly elected husband's "strong arm." "She has authority, the ability to command, and she is a woman who moves quietly," the official added.
Why was Cilia Flores captured?
The charges Flores will face in the United States were initially unclear; however, in Bondi's X post, she wrote that Maduro and his wife will "soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts."
In her social media post, Bondi also called Maduro and Flores "two alleged international narco traffickers."
The allegations against Flores came to light in theunsealed indictment shared by Bondi, in which the U.S. government said: "That massive-scale drug trafficking has also concentrated power and wealth in the hands of MADURO MOROS's family, including his wife, the purported First Lady of Venezuela." Maduro's son, Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, is also named in the indictment as a defendant.
According to the indictment, Flores, who married Maduro "in or about 2013," is being charged with cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices.
Contributing: Reuters
Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Who is Cilia Flores? Nicolás Maduro's wife named in US indictment