President Nicolás Maduro arrives in New York to face U.S. charges after operation.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a dramatic U.S. military operation during the early hours of January 3, 2026.

“After being captured by the American authorities in a direct military operation called 'Operation Absolute Resolution' during the early hours of Saturday, January 3, 2026, Nicolás Maduro is now in the United States, where he will face justice on charges of narcoterrorism, conspiracy to supply cocaine, and possession of destructive weapons”

AS Mexico

American forces conducted a series of strikes targeting military facilities in Caracas, including bases in Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira.

AS Mexico

The operation unfolded when U.S. special operations forces seized Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their home at a military base in the capital city.

Explosions occurred around 2 a.m. local time, waking residents who reported hearing detonations and planes flying low for at least an hour.

Maduro's government condemned the action as 'imperialist,' while Trump administration officials framed it as a necessary step to combat drug trafficking.

The operation was the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to Western mainstream media reports.

After his capture, Maduro was transported out of Venezuela through a complex extraction process involving multiple stages of military transport.

The deposed Venezuelan leader was first taken from Caracas by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship located in the Caribbean Sea.

COPE

From there, he and his wife were flown on a military Boeing 757 to the United States, arriving at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York's northern suburbs around 4:30 p.m.

Upon arrival, Maduro was seen surrounded by FBI agents as he descended the boarding stairs of the U.S. government aircraft.

He was slowly escorted along the tarmac before being flown by helicopter to Manhattan.

A large law enforcement contingent awaited to transport him to the Drug Enforcement Administration office.

He was then taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the same facility that housed rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs during his recent trial.

Maduro faces serious criminal charges in the United States, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.

“The United States captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife in the early hours of this Saturday following a military operation that included bombings in several states of Venezuela and in the capital, Caracas”

Diario de Sevilla

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the couple had been indicted in the Southern District of York and would 'soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.'

The indictment accuses Maduro of leading 'a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.'

Legal experts immediately raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation.

Some noted that bringing a sitting head of state before a domestic court violates international immunity norms.

The operation was conducted without congressional approval, prompting concerns about its legal basis under both U.S. and international law.

In Venezuela's political aftermath, the Supreme Court moved quickly to address the power vacuum by ordering Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the role of acting president.

The court ruled that Rodríguez should 'assume and exercise, in an acting capacity, all the attributes, duties and powers inherent to the office of President...to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the nation.'

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However, the judges stopped short of declaring Maduro permanently absent from office, which would have required holding elections within 30 days.

Rodríguez, whose location remains unknown, has continued to express loyalty to Maduro, stating in a televised address: 'There is only one president in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro.'

Meanwhile, Venezuela's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López reported that a large part of Maduro's security team was killed during the U.S. military operation.

The country's armed forces have been activated to guarantee sovereignty as the nation faces an uncertain future.