•Trump, Maduro and wife
The United States is to run the affairs of Venezuela in the interim after American troops yesterday invaded the country and seized President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia.
The couple were ripped from bed while asleep.
They were subsequently flown to Washington DC to await trial for Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States, reports AFP.
The Maduros were captured by a unit of elite Delta Force soldiers while they slept in their beds.
The operation took place in five Venezuelan sites including three in the country’s capital Caracas.
Although the US authorities said no one died in the operation, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek Saab said ‘innocents’ had been ‘mortally wounded’ by the US troops.
On their arrival in the US, the Maduros were taken to the USS Iwo Jima assault ship pending their transfer to New York City.
Trump called the operation ‘brilliant’ and said he had watched it live.
He even shared a photo of Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima on social media.
In the image Maduro wore blackout goggles and a grey sweatshirt.
He also appeared to be strapped to a flotation device and held a water bottle.
In the days leading up to the invasion, the US had readied military vessels, aircraft and personnel around Venezuela.
In an apparent move to patch up with the White House, Maduro on Thursday issued a plea for peace to the United States.
“The American people should know they have a friendly, peaceful people here, and a friendly government as well,” he said in an interview with a Spanish journalist.
He added: “they should know that our message is very clear: ‘Not War. Yes Peace’”, and offered to work with the US to curtail drug trafficking.
Trump had accused Maduro and his government of conspiring to flood the United States with illegal drugs.
In 2020, during his first term in office as president Trump indicted Maduro on charges of importing cocaine into the US and offered a $15million reward for his arrest at the time.
The reward went up to $25million during the final days of former President Joe Biden’s administration and rose $50million in August 2025 after Trump began his second term as president.
Trump alleges Maduro is leader of a drug running organization called Cartel de los Soles and has designated the group a foreign terrorist organisation.
In his final public act as President, Maduro on Friday received in his Miraflores Palace in Caracas China’s special envoy Qiu Xiaoqi.
Both men reaffirmed bilateral ties amid U.S. pressure.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi in a post on her verified X account @AGPamBondi yesterday said Maduro “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
She said: “Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts. On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers.”
