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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces in Caracas and transferred to a New York detention centre, where he will face 'narco-terrorism' charges.
Nicolas Maduro after being brought to US. (Photo: Reuters)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jan 4, 2026 13:33 IST
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by US forces in Caracas along with his wife in an audacious operation, was transferred to a detention centre in New York on Sunday after President Donald Trump ordered an audacious raid to seize the South American leader and assert control over the country and its vast oil reserves.
The deposed 63-year-old leader is set to face criminal charges over what the Trump administration describes as “narco-terrorism”, alleging that his government was involved in drug manufacturing, sheltering cartels and trafficking narcotics into the United States to “destroy American lives”. Trump announced that the US would temporarily “run” Venezuela and tap its extensive oil reserves, including for sale to other nations.
According to an indictment in New York, Maduro is charged alongside his wife, his son and three others. The Venezuelan President is indicted on four counts -- narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. He is expected to make an initial appearance in Manhattan federal court on Monday.
Announcing Maduro’s capture, US President Donald Trump said the United States would temporarily “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves for sale to other nations. “We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said, and boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”
Codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, the operation was carried out at around 2.00 am local time on Saturday, when elite US Delta Force operators, backed by FBI and CIA assets, breached President Maduro’s primary residence inside the Fort Tiuna military complex in Caracas.
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Published On:
Jan 4, 2026
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