Venezuela’s interim President, Delcy Rodríguez, has been identified in intelligence files from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for several years, and was designated as a “priority target” in 2022, as per documents accessed by The Associated Press.

The DEA’s intelligence on Rodríguez dates back to at least 2018, with her name surfacing in various investigations conducted by both U.S. and international field offices. Despite this, Rodríguez has never been publicly charged with any criminal offenses, according to the Associated Press report.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DEA for a comment, but there was no immediate response.

The DEA uses the “priority target” label to concentrate its investigative efforts on individuals or entities believed to be significantly involved in large-scale drug trafficking or money laundering operations impacting the United States. This information is based on a 2008 assessment by the DEA.

In a related image, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is seen alongside Delcy Rodríguez during his second-term inauguration ceremony in Caracas on May 24, 2018. (Photo by Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)

Rodríguez was formally sworn in as Venezuela’s new leader on Jan. 5, just two days after U.S. forces extracted Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their compound in Caracas in an early-morning military operation.

Maduro and Flores were taken into U.S. custody and flown to New York to face federal charges.

Maduro is charged with four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine-guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine-guns and destructive devices. His wife is charged with three counts: cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine-guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine-guns and destructive devices.

Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad on Jan. 5, 2026 in New York City. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images)

The White House has been working with Rodríguez in the weeks since Maduro was ousted. President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he spoke with Rodríguez by phone and praised her as a “terrific person.”

“We discussed a lot of things and I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela,” he said.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado criticized Rodríguez as the Trump administration engages with the Maduro ally, arguing she does not represent the Venezuelan people.

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez speaks during the presentation of the budget bill at the National Assembly in Caracas on Dec. 3, 2024. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

“I want to insist on this: Delcy Rodríguez, yes, she’s a communist. She’s the main ally and representation of the Russian regime, the Chinese and the Iranians, but that’s not the Venezuelan people and that’s not the armed forces, as well,” Machado said at a Heritage Foundation event on Friday.

“So I am profoundly, profoundly confident that we will have an orderly transition. This is a complex phase we are in right now. Some of the dirty work is being done by them,” she added. “But then, the result of a stable transition will be a proud Venezuela who is going to be the best ally the United States has ever had in the Americas.”