Florida could try to pile on Nicolas Maduro's legal troubles. Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week that the attorney general's office in Florida is "looking very seriously" at bringing state charges against the Venezuelan leader, days after Maduro was brought to the US and pleaded not guilty in New York to federal cocaine trafficking counts, per Politico. DeSantis said Florida is poring over its statutes and argued that Maduro played a direct role in flooding the state with drugs.
At a Clearwater press conference, DeSantis also accused Maduro of having emptied prisons in Venezuela and sent gang members, including from Tren de Aragua, across the US border, calling it a "very hostile act." US intelligence agencies concluded last year that Maduro wasn't directing that gang's operations. The governor's office and state AG James Uthmeier—DeSantis' former chief of staff and a Trump-backed candidate—didn't answer questions on whether state charges are actually in the works or whether DeSantis had sought President Trump's sign-off. A White House spokesperson, meanwhile, simply praised the president's "decisive leadership" in Maduro's arrest.
DeSantis has been hinting at state action on social media, telling followers to "Stay tuned..." and arguing that a Florida case could proceed alongside the federal one. The Sunshine State has doubled up before: It brought its own charges against Ryan Routh months after the Justice Department indicted him for the attempted assassination of Trump, with DeSantis saying he didn't trust the FBI under President Biden. The GOP governor has already cast doubt on a Manhattan jury's handling of Maduro.
The potential case is already a 2026 campaign issue. Democrat David Jolly, who's entered the gubernatorial race in Florida, called DeSantis' talk "performative" and noted that a federal prosecution would overshadow any state case, accusing the governor of chasing a fresh clash with Trump. The Tallahassee Democrat, however, notes that DeSantis has supported the Trump administration's boat strikes against "narco-terrorists" off Venezuela. Republican hopefuls lined up behind DeSantis: Former state House Speaker Paul Renner said Maduro should be prosecuted "to the fullest extent of the law" if he violated Florida statutes, while GOP frontrunner Rep. Byron Donalds had this recommendation: "Throw the book at Maduro."
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
