Venezuela’s interim President, Delcy Rodríguez, has been a subject of interest in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intelligence files for several years, being classified as a “priority target” in 2022, as revealed by documents acquired by The Associated Press.
The records indicate that the DEA has been collecting intelligence on Rodríguez since at least 2018. Her name has surfaced in numerous investigations conducted by various U.S. and international field offices. However, she has not faced any public accusations of criminal activities, according to the report.
Fox News Digital reached out to the DEA for a statement, but they have not yet provided a response.
The “priority target” label is employed by the DEA to direct investigative efforts toward individuals or groups considered to have a significant impact on major drug trafficking or money laundering operations that affect the United States, as outlined in a 2008 DEA report.
In an image from May 24, 2018, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is seen with Delcy Rodríguez during his second-term inauguration ceremony in Caracas. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)
Rodríguez assumed her role as Venezuela’s new leader on January 5, just two days following a covert U.S. military operation that extracted Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their residence in Caracas during the early morning hours.
Maduro and Flores were taken into U.S. custody and flown to New York to face federal charges.
Maduro is charged with four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine-guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine-guns and destructive devices. His wife is charged with three counts: cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine-guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine-guns and destructive devices.
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad on Jan. 5, 2026 in New York City. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
The White House has been working with Rodríguez in the weeks since Maduro was ousted. President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he spoke with Rodríguez by phone and praised her as a “terrific person.”
“We discussed a lot of things and I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela,” he said.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado criticized Rodríguez as the Trump administration engages with the Maduro ally, arguing she does not represent the Venezuelan people.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez speaks during the presentation of the budget bill at the National Assembly in Caracas on Dec. 3, 2024. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
“I want to insist on this: Delcy Rodríguez, yes, she’s a communist. She’s the main ally and representation of the Russian regime, the Chinese and the Iranians, but that’s not the Venezuelan people and that’s not the armed forces, as well,” Machado said at a Heritage Foundation event on Friday.
“So I am profoundly, profoundly confident that we will have an orderly transition. This is a complex phase we are in right now. Some of the dirty work is being done by them,” she added. “But then, the result of a stable transition will be a proud Venezuela who is going to be the best ally the United States has ever had in the Americas.”
