US Prosecutors Say Maduro Not Immune to Narco-Terror Charges
Government counters former Venezuelan president's bid to dismiss charges, citing lack of recognition as head of state.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrive at the Wall Street Heliport in the Manhattan borough of New York on Jan. 5, 2026. (Starmax/Newscom via ZUMA Press/TNS) (Starmax/Newscom via ZUMA Press/TN)
Photograph: The spokesman-Review (embedded from source)
What this story says
- US prosecutors stated Nicolás Maduro is not entitled to immunity from criminal charges.
- Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face charges including cocaine importation conspiracy and narco-terrorism conspiracy.
- The US government argues it does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela's head of state, a key point in rejecting his immunity claim.
- If convicted, Maduro and Flores could face life imprisonment.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 10 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 15 of the 25 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
61/100
Hype
20/100
25 sources · methodology
US prosecutors have argued that Nicolás Maduro is not entitled to immunity from criminal charges, countering the former Venezuelan president's attempt to have the narco-terrorism case against him dismissed. The US government stated that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are "former rogue officials of a formerly rogue state with no entitlement to immunity."
Maduro's defense team had argued that he is immune to prosecution as the head of a sovereign country. However, the US government countered that President Donald Trump's decision in 2019 to withdraw official recognition of Maduro as Venezuela's head of state is entitled to "absolute deference" by the courts. Prosecutors noted that the US recognizes interim President Delcy Rodriguez as Venezuela's head of state, and her government has not sought immunity for Maduro.
Maduro and Flores were captured by the US military in a January 3 raid and subsequently charged with cocaine importation conspiracy, narco-terrorism conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. Federal prosecutors alleged that Maduro partnered with groups designated by the US as foreign terrorist organizations and sought to enrich himself while in government positions. Both have pleaded not guilty and have asked the judge to dismiss the case. If convicted, they could spend the rest of their lives in prison.
Disagreement on Recognition
US prosecutors stated that the US recognizes interim President Delcy Rodriguez as Venezuela’s head of state and her government has not sought immunity for Maduro. Digests from El Tiempo, La Nación, Caraota Digital, Aristegui Noticias, pnt.cl, Opinión Bolivia, VilaWeb.cat, El Periodista Online, Noticias de Navarra, Deia, noticiasdegipuzkoa.eus, noticiasdealava.eus, Aporrea, voz.us, Efecto Cocuyo, unn.ua, The Mercury news, Lodinews.com, Diario La Verdad, EL NACIONAL, and Monitoreamos all reported that the US does not recognize Maduro as president. Live Mint and The spokesman-Review reported that the US recognizes interim President Delcy Rodriguez as Venezuela's head of state and her government has not sought immunity for Maduro.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated, centre-rated, or right-rated digests mention that Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores are being held in a federal lockup in Brooklyn, New York, while awaiting trial. The digests also do not mention that a judge in Manhattan will hear Flores’ request to be released on bond on Thursday.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 5 Oct 2026, 03:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
5 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led on the US prosecutors' statement that Nicolás Maduro is not entitled to immunity from criminal charges. These reports detailed the charges against Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, including cocaine importation conspiracy and narco-terrorism conspiracy. They also highlighted the US government's position that it does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela's head of state, with some mentioning the January 3 military raid in which Maduro and Flores were captured. The potential for life imprisonment if convicted was also noted.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports focused on the US prosecutors' assertion that Nicolás Maduro is not immune to prosecution in the narco-terrorism case. They stated that the US government countered Maduro's bid to dismiss the charges by arguing that it does not recognize him as Venezuela's head of state. The charges against Maduro and Cilia Flores, including conspiracy and possession of weapons, were mentioned, as was the potential for life imprisonment upon conviction.
Right
3 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports highlighted that the United States has dismissed Nicolás Maduro's immunity because it does not consider him the president of Venezuela. These reports stated that the US rejects the immunity claims of both Maduro and Cilia Flores and is calling for the continuation of the process for narcoterrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons charges. The potential for trial was also mentioned.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover US Prosecutors Say Maduro Not Immune to Narco-Terror Charges?
- Of the 10 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 50% are rated left, 20% are rated centre, 30% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 25. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is US Prosecutors Say Maduro Not Immune to Narco-Terror Charges left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 10 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of US Prosecutors Say Maduro Not Immune to Narco-Terror Charges biased?
- US Prosecutors Say Maduro Not Immune to Narco-Terror Charges is one event reported by 25 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered US Prosecutors Say Maduro Not Immune to Narco-Terror Charges?
- 25 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why are US prosecutors saying Nicolás Maduro is not immune to charges?
- US prosecutors argue that Nicolás Maduro is not entitled to immunity because the US does not recognize him as Venezuela's head of state. They stated that President Trump withdrew recognition in 2019 and the US recognizes interim President Delcy Rodriguez.
- What charges do Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores face?
- Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face charges including cocaine importation conspiracy, narco-terrorism conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. They have pleaded not guilty to these charges.
- What is the potential penalty if Maduro and Flores are convicted?
- If convicted of the charges they face, Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores could spend the rest of their lives in prison. They were captured by the US military in a January 3 raid.
Read it at the source
25 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
5- State Department Ratifies that Maduro Is Not Known as President of the Republic (opens Efecto Cocuyo in a new tab)
Efecto Cocuyo — is Efecto Cocuyo biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Says Maduro Has No Immunity From Prosecution in Drug Terrorism Case (opens unn.ua in a new tab)
- Maduro not immune to prosecution in narco-terror case, US says (opens The Mercury news in a new tab)
The Mercury news — is The Mercury news biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Maduro not immune to prosecution in narco-terror case, US says (opens Lodinews.com in a new tab)
Lodinews.com — is Lodinews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Maduro not immune to prosecution in narco-terror case, U.S. says (opens The spokesman-Review in a new tab)
The spokesman-Review — is The spokesman-Review biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
2Right
3- United States Dismisses Maduro’s Immunity because He Does Not Consider Him President of Venezuela (opens La Nación, Grupo Nación in a new tab)
La Nación, Grupo Nación — is La Nación, Grupo Nación biased? Our profile of this outlet
- New York Justice Stops the Immunity Pretensions of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores Before Drug Trafficking Trials · Global Voices (opens voz.us in a new tab)
- Venezuela: US Prosecutors Say Maduro and Cilia Flores Have No Immunity, Seek Trial (opens The Rio Times in a new tab)
The Rio Times — is The Rio Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
15- United States Dismisses Nicolás Maduro’s Immunity because He Does Not Consider Him President of Venezuela (opens El Tiempo in a new tab)
- The Reason the Prosecutor’s Office Refused to Recognize Maduro as “President” and Asked to Reject His Immunity (opens Caraota Digital in a new tab)
Caraota Digital — is Caraota Digital biased? Our profile of this outlet
- U.S. Attorney General's Office Asks to Continue Trial Against Maduro and Flores; Rejects Immunity Argument (opens Aristegui Noticias in a new tab)
Aristegui Noticias — is Aristegui Noticias biased? Our profile of this outlet
- United States Dismisses Immunity of Nicolás Maduro by Not Recognizing Him as President (opens pnt.cl in a new tab)
- US Dismisses Maduro’s Immunity because He Does Not Consider Him President of Venezuela (opens Opinión Bolivia in a new tab)
Opinión Bolivia — is Opinión Bolivia biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- The US Rejects Maduro's Immunity because They Do Not Recognize Him as President of Venezuela (opens VilaWeb.cat in a new tab)
VilaWeb.cat — is VilaWeb.cat biased? Our profile of this outlet
- U.S. Rejects Maduro's Immunity and Maintains that He Is Not President of Venezuela (opens El Periodista Online in a new tab)
El Periodista Online — is El Periodista Online biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Dismisses Maduro’s Immunity because He Does Not Consider Him President of Venezuela (opens noticiasdegipuzkoa.eus in a new tab)
noticiasdegipuzkoa.eus — is noticiasdegipuzkoa.eus biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 7 more
- US Dismisses Maduro’s Immunity because He Does Not Consider Him President of Venezuela (opens Deia in a new tab)
- US Dismisses Maduro’s Immunity because He Does Not Consider Him President of Venezuela (opens Noticias de Navarra in a new tab)
Noticias de Navarra — is Noticias de Navarra biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Dismisses Maduro’s Immunity because He Does Not Consider Him President of Venezuela (opens noticiasdealava.eus in a new tab)
noticiasdealava.eus — is noticiasdealava.eus biased? Our profile of this outlet
- U.S. Attorney's Office Rejects Request to Dismiss the Case Against Nicolás Maduro for "Immunity" (opens Aporrea in a new tab)
- U.S. Attorney General Asks to Reject Immunity Alleged by Maduro and Cilia Flores (opens Diario La Verdad in a new tab)
Diario La Verdad — is Diario La Verdad biased? Our profile of this outlet
- U.S. Attorney's Office Rejected Immunity From Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores and Demanded to Advance the Trial (opens EL NACIONAL in a new tab)
EL NACIONAL — is EL NACIONAL biased? Our profile of this outlet
- U.S. Attorney General Says Maduro and Cilia Flores Do Not Have "Immunity" and Asks the Judge to Continue the Trial (opens Monitoreamos in a new tab)
Monitoreamos — is Monitoreamos biased? Our profile of this outlet
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