IMG_3947

Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, was taken into U.S. custody on January 3, 2026, following a large-scale U.S. military operation involving airstrikes and a special forces raid. The primary reason was to execute a longstanding U.S. federal indictment against him on serious drug-related charges. Maduro (along with his wife, Cilia Flores, who was also captured) faces charges including: • Narco-terrorism conspiracy • Cocaine importation conspiracy • Possession of machine guns and destructive devices • Conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices These stem from a 2020 indictment (unsealed and updated in subsequent actions) accusing Maduro and his regime of leading the “Cartel de los Soles,” a alleged Venezuela-based drug trafficking network that collaborated with groups like Colombia’s FARC to flood the U.S. with cocaine as a “weapon against America.” The operation, announced by President Donald Trump, involved U.S. elite units (including Delta Force) raiding Maduro’s location in Caracas after disabling air defenses. It was framed by U.S. officials as a law enforcement action to arrest an indicted fugitive, with military strikes used to protect personnel executing the warrant. Maduro and his wife were flown out of Venezuela aboard the USS Iwo Jima and are being transported to New York for trial in the Southern District of New York. This marks a dramatic escalation after months of U.S. pressure, including sanctions, a $50 million bounty on Maduro, and strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels. The action has drawn comparisons to the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama and capture of Manuel Noriega on similar drug charges.