Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is weighing whether the state should bring its own criminal case against Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, signaling that Florida may not leave accountability solely in the hands of federal prosecutors.
Maduro was captured Saturday in a high-risk U.S. operation and transported to New York City to face federal narcotics and conspiracy charges, a dramatic move that has already raised questions about whether the Biden administration and the New York judiciary can be trusted to deliver justice, according to The Western Journal. As noted by CBS, the case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the Southern District of New York, a 92-year-old Bill Clinton appointee whom CBS described as a thorn in Trumps side.
Hellerstein has a record that alarms many conservatives, having taken an openly adversarial posture toward President Donald Trump in his New York criminal proceedings and having previously ruled in favor of illegal immigrants by attempting to block their deportations. Against that backdrop, DeSantis is signaling that Florida will not passively watch a potentially politicized process unfold in a deep-blue jurisdiction.
DeSantis told Politico that his administration was looking very seriously at possible state-level charges against Maduro, underscoring Floridas unique position as a primary target of the regimes alleged drug operations. He was obviously very involved with bringing drugs, particularly to Florida, DeSantis said Tuesday, tying Maduros alleged crimes directly to the safety and security of Floridians.
The governor further alleged that Maduros abuses extended beyond narcotics trafficking and into a deliberate effort to weaponize mass migration against the United States. You know what he would also do? And this is not in the federal indictment in New York he would empty his prisons and send them to America across the border, and wed end up with some of these people in Florida, DeSantis said, highlighting the national-security implications of the Biden administrations porous border policies.
On Monday, DeSantis used his X account to hint that Floridas response was imminent, replying Stay tuned to a post discussing potential state charges. In a subsequent post, he addressed concerns that a state prosecution might be barred by double jeopardy, making clear that constitutional protections would not shield Maduro from multiple sovereigns.
Separate sovereigns. Double jeopardy doesnt attach. So he can face both state and federal charges, the governor posted, signaling that Florida is prepared to act independently of Washington. DeSantis also responded to speculation that a left-leaning New York City jury might acquit Maduro despite the seriousness of the allegations.
Dunno but I bet those odds will be different if/when Maduro faces state charges in Miami, DeSantis posted, suggesting that a Florida jurycloser to the front lines of Maduros alleged crimes and the Venezuelan exile communitymight view the evidence very differently. Former state and federal prosecutor David Weinstein told CBS that DeSantis appeared to be eyeing a crime called capital trafficking in cocaine, a particularly severe offense under Florida law.
Part of that statute includes punishment by death if you import and distribute more than 300 kilograms of cocaine, and if you had a reasonable knowledge that death could result from it, Weinstein said, underscoring the gravity of the potential state case. He added that other possible counts could include drug trafficking, money laundering, and gang-related offenses, all of which would allow Florida to assert its own interest in punishing the damage inflicted on its communities.
As the federal case proceeds under a Clinton-appointed judge with a history of hostility toward President Trump and leniency toward illegal immigrants, conservatives will be watching closely to see whether Florida follows through with a parallel prosecution. For DeSantis, the decision to pursue state charges would not only test the limits of federalism and the separate sovereigns doctrine, but also send a clear message that, at least in Florida, foreign dictators who flood American streets with drugs and criminals will face the full weight of the law.
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