Venezuela's first lady says her nephews were kidnapped by U.S.

Cilia Flores (C), deputy of Venezuela's United Socialist Party (PSUV) and wife of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, talks to the media after a failed session of the National Assembly for lack of quorum in Caracas, January 12, 2016. REUTERS/Marco Bello

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores on Tuesday said two of her nephews who have been indicted on drug trafficking charges were kidnapped by U.S. authorities, her first comments on the case since their arrests sparked a scandal last year.

Franqui Flores de Freitas, 30, and Efrain Campo Flores, 29, were arrested in Haiti in November in an operation involving the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The two were later indicted in New York on charges of conspiring to traffic cocaine, an embarrassment to President Nicolas Maduro.