AP obtains documents showing Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez has been on DEA’s radar for years
January 17, 2026
The Associated Press has learned that Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting president, has been on the radar of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for years and in 2022 was even labeled a “priority target,” a designation DEA reserves for suspects believed to have a “significant impact” on the drug trade. That’s according to records obtained by the AP and more than a half dozen current and former U.S. law enforcement officials. U.S. President Donald Trump identified Rodríguez as America’s preferred partner to stabilize Venezuela after the U.S. military’s audacious capture of her predecessor, Nicollás Maduro, who now faces drug trafficking charges in the U.S.