MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Wednesday, July 15th 2026 - 22:00 UTC
Judge Darrin P. Gayles issued a default judgment on Tuesday against Nicolás Maduro, Saab, five other Venezuelan officials, and the so-called Cartel of the Suns
A federal judge in Miami ordered $314 million in damages to be paid to three US citizens who were imprisoned in Venezuela, where they said they were tortured by intelligence services before being freed in a 2023 exchange with Washington for Colombian businessman Alex Saab.
Judge Darrin P. Gayles issued a default judgment on Tuesday against Nicolás Maduro, Saab, five other Venezuelan officials, and the so-called Cartel of the Suns, for failing to respond to the lawsuit filed in 2025. There was no trial: although the defendants were notified, none appeared or mounted a defense. In his 19-page ruling, Gayles described the kidnappings as part of a structure operating, in his words, as a criminal enterprise to sustain Maduro's government.
