A military transport aircraft later touched down at an airfield outside New York City carrying the detainees. Maduro was transferred to federal custody and is expected to be held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while awaiting arraignment in the Southern District of New York.
Pending U.S. Charges
The Venezuelan leader faces a 2020 federal indictment alleging narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons offenses. Prosecutors claim that Maduro worked with Colombian rebels to move tons of cocaine into the United States over two decades. In November 2025 the U.S. government designated him the head of a foreign terrorist organization and last August doubled the reward for information leading to his arrest to $50 million. Details of the indictment can be found in the U.S. Department of Justice announcement.
Trump Says U.S. Will Oversee Venezuela “for a Period”
Speaking later at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump said a temporary governing team composed of Cabinet members and Venezuelan partners would administer the country. He signaled willingness to deploy additional troops and warned of a “much bigger” follow-on strike if resistance emerged. The president added that major American energy companies would be invited to invest billions of dollars in Venezuela’s oil sector, claiming that the Venezuelan public would ultimately benefit.
Approximately 15,000 U.S. personnel, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, were already stationed in the Caribbean as part of a broader counternarcotics deployment. The raid followed a series of U.S. strikes on vessels Washington said were used for drug trafficking and a limited land attack on a coastal dock four days earlier.
Planning and Timing
Officials familiar with the mission said Trump authorized the capture several days before Christmas, but execution was delayed first by unrelated operations against ISIS in Nigeria and later by poor weather. Delta Force rehearsed the assault on a full-scale replica of Maduro’s residence built at a U.S. training site, sources said.
Imagem: Internet
Domestic Political Reaction
Republican lawmakers largely praised the action. Senators Rick Scott and Tom Cotton called it a victory against dictatorship and drug trafficking. Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Cotton confirmed that American injuries were limited and emphasized the complexity of the raid.
Democratic leaders questioned legal authority and strategic wisdom. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the prospect of Washington “running” Venezuela should alarm Americans, while Representative Ruben Gallego labeled the move an unjustified war. Senator Mike Lee said Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured him no further combat operations were anticipated now that Maduro is in U.S. custody.
International Response
In Caracas, the Venezuelan government denounced what it called “grave military aggression” and declared a nationwide state of external disturbance. Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the raid as an act of armed aggression and urged restraint. Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned of regional instability, whereas Argentine President Javier Milei voiced support for the U.S. action.
The United States has refused to recognize Maduro’s 2024 re-election, citing widespread irregularities. Saturday’s operation marks the first time Washington has removed a sitting Latin American head of state since the 1989 capture of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega.
While Trump said the United States is “not afraid of boots on the ground,” Rubio indicated that military activity would pause unless new threats emerge. Court proceedings in New York are expected to begin within days, and the White House has not provided a timeline for transferring authority to Venezuelan civilian leaders.
Crédito da imagem: Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images
