Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arraigned Monday in a New York City federal courtroom, where prosecutors quietly retreated from one of the most explosive claims long associated with his case: that he led a formal international drug cartel.

In a January 2025 indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York, the Department of Justice described Maduro as the head of a “patronage system” referred to as the Cartel de los Soles, rather than explicitly labeling it a functioning drug cartel. Prosecutors said the system profited from cocaine trafficking into the United States, but stopped short of calling it a cohesive criminal organization.

That language marked a notable shift from a 2020 indictment filed during President Donald Trump’s first term. That earlier case referenced the Cartel de los Soles 32 times and described it as a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization made up of high-ranking officials who corrupted the country’s military, intelligence services, and judiciary to move tons of cocaine into the U.S.

Experts say the newer indictment reflects a more cautious legal posture. According to reporting by The New York Times, “Cartel de los Soles” is widely understood among Latin American crime analysts as slang for officials corrupted by drug money, not a cartel in the traditional sense. The phrase was coined by Venezuelan media in the 1990s and later adopted by U.S. officials.

Elizabeth Dickinson, deputy director for Latin America at the International Crisis Group, told the Times that the revised language better aligns with reality. “Designations don’t have to be proved in court, and that’s the difference,” she said. “Clearly, they knew they could not prove it in court.”

Despite the shift by the Justice Department — now led by Attorney General Pam Bondi — senior Trump administration officials continue to publicly describe Maduro as the leader of an actual cartel. During a Jan. 4 appearance on Meet the Press, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. reserved the right to strike drug operations tied to “transnational criminal organizations, including the Cartel de los Soles,” adding that its leader was “now in U.S. custody.”

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were brought to New York following their capture and removal from Venezuela by U.S. forces over the weekend. Both were arraigned Monday and pleaded not guilty.

Maduro faces four charges: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess those weapons. Speaking through an interpreter, he told the court, “I am a decent man. I am still the president of my country. I consider myself a prisoner of war.”

Flores, 69, was charged with cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons offenses. She also entered a not guilty plea.

Trump confirmed the operation in a Truth Social post Saturday, stating that U.S. forces had carried out a “large-scale strike” on Caracas and that the United States intended to “take control” of Venezuela on an interim basis.