President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face a "worst-case scenario" as a married couple entrenched in Venezuelan politics and now detained in the U.S. ahead of their Jan. 5 arraignment, according to a national security expert.

Maduro and Flores, who have been married for 12 years, were arrested in Caracas during a nighttime operation on Jan. 3 and transported to U.S. custody, where federal prosecutors have brought criminal charges against both, officials said.

"This is a worst-case scenario for them, not being in power but in custody of the U.S. government," political futures are tied together as well," the Council on Foreign Relations fellow added.

Maduro, 63, has been 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.

Flores, 69, has been charged with three counts: cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Flores first gained attention in 1994 when, as a lawyer, she defended Hugo Chávez after his failed 1992 coup attempt.

After Chávez was elected, she sat in the National Assembly in 2000 before serving as president of the National Assembly – succeeding Maduro – and later as Venezuela’s attorney general from 2012 to 2013 under both men.

"Cilia is very politically savvy and has been one of the key insiders in constructing and carrying forward Chávez’s revolutionary project," said Vigil. "She’s very much tied to the Chavista movement, which is at a low point but likely to survive this crisis. Venezuela’s future will depend on whether there is a transition to democracy or whether a Chavista stays in power."

"Cilia Flores is one of the original Chavistas because she was part of Hugo Chávez’s inner circle in the early ’90s before he became president," she added.

Flores was introduced to Maduro while working closely with Chávez. At the time, Maduro described her as having a "fiery character," sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2018," Vigil said. "My sense is that Cilia was not vying to be president or vying to hold some sort of official role, she already had significant influence."

"At some level, I think she believed that Maduro was best positioned to continue Hugo Chávez’s revolutionary project," she added, "and that continuing this project was important to her."

President Donald Trump addressed Maduro’s capture this week, warning of serious consequences for the Venezuelan leader and signaling a hardline approach toward the regime.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Trump said the U.S. would temporarily govern Venezuela "until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition." 

But Vigil highlights the president did not publicly lay out plans for Flores. "President Trump didn’t mention anything about her yesterday, so it’s not clear what the plan is for Cilia," Vigil said.

"Secretary Rubio said Maduro turned down generous offers to leave, but also didn’t mention Cilia, why she was taken with Maduro, and what role she played in these negotiations. Cilia was also not indicted in 2020 when Maduro was originally indicted," Vigil said.

"President Trump’s rhetoric against Maduro for the last four plus months hasn’t included Cilia," she explained.

On Sunday, Rubio said in an interview Pam Bondi also echoed that message on social media, writing on X that Maduro and Flores will "soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts," and calling them "two alleged international narco traffickers."