Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodríguez was labeled a "priority target" by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration years before rising to the top of the country's power structure, according to records reviewed by The Associated Press and interviews with current and former U.S. law enforcement officials.
The designation, applied in 2022, is reserved for individuals believed to have a "significant impact" on the drug trade. DEA records show the agency began compiling intelligence on Rodríguez as early as 2018, documenting alleged links to drug trafficking, gold smuggling and money laundering networks, including connections to Venezuelan government-linked business figures.
