Delcy Rodríguez DEA Priority Target

Delcy Rodríguez, the acting president of Venezuela and a longtime aide to Nicolás Maduro, has been a 'priority target' for the United States — Drug Enforcement Administration since 2022, with investigations dating back to 2018. She is suspected of involvement in drug trafficking, gold smuggling, and money laundering, including using hotels in Isla Margarita as a front for illicit activities and being linked to government contracts awarded to Alex Saab. Despite these allegations, the U.S. government has not publicly accused her of criminal wrongdoing, and she is not among the Venezuelan officials charged alongside Nicolás Maduro. Former President Donald Trump initially praised Delcy Rodríguez and sought to position her as a partner to stabilize Venezuela, using the threat of an indictment as leverage to gain U.S. access to Venezuela's oil reserves. Delcy Rodríguez was previously sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for her role in solidifying Nicolás Maduro's authoritarian rule. The investigations highlight the systemic corruption within Venezuela, which Transparency International ranks as the world's third most corrupt country.