The U.S. Department of Justice has halted a drug-related investigation into Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president. Analysts say the decision reflects a broader shift in U.S. policy toward Venezuela as the Trump administration moves to normalize relations with the interim government following Nicolás Maduro’s removal.
On the 27th (local time), the Associated Press reported that the Trump administration informally instructed the U.S. attorney’s office in Miami to discontinue the criminal probe into Rodríguez. She was never formally charged in the United States, but the Drug Enforcement Administration had monitored her for years.
U.S. investigators had spent years looking into possible ties between Rodríguez and drug trafficking, gold smuggling and money laundering. After Maduro’s arrest last January, however, the administration appears to have reprioritized—focusing on stabilizing Venezuela and encouraging the return of U.S. businesses.
Rodríguez, who served as vice president under Maduro, has maintained close contact with U.S. officials since the transfer of power. She has allowed U.S. oil companies to resume operations, eased regulations to attract Western investment, freed some opposition figures and replaced Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López—moves aimed at conciliating domestic and international critics.
Last month, the Trump administration lifted financial sanctions against Rodríguez, and President Trump recently described her on social media as “a wonderful person.”
But the shift has drawn criticism from some U.S. lawmakers. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called Rodríguez “a central figure in Maduro’s dictatorial regime” and demanded an explanation for lifting sanctions without concrete steps to restore democracy. Rick Dellatore, a former CIA station chief in Caracas, warned that Rodríguez’s strategic value is temporary and said she will eventually face legal accountability.
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