Venezuela’s Maduro captured, held at MDC in Sunset Park

Protesters gather outside Metropolitan Detention Center on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in New York. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

SUNSET PARK – VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLAS Maduro, along with his wife Cilia Flores, on Saturday were captured at their residence in Caracas by U.S. troops in an explosive raid, before being transported to New York to stand trial in Manhattan federal court for allegedly collaborating with narcotics cartels to destabilize the U.S., reports CNN.

The pair are currently being held at Sunset Park’s Metropolitan Detention Center, the city’s only federal prison, after being charged with narco-terrorism, importing cocaine and possessing machine guns. An indictment for Maduro was initially issued in 2020 in the Southern District of New York; a fresh indictment was unsealed on Saturday, also naming his wife and son. He is expected to appear in court on Monday.

President Nicolas Maduro gestures during a news conference at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, three days after his disputed reelection. AP Photo/Matias Delacroix

The highly unusual move comes after months of escalating tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela over issues including narcotics production, the South American country’s ongoing refugee crisis, and the expropriation of the assets of American oil companies under previous Venezuelan leaders. 116 people are believed to have been killed in 2025 in American strikes against alleged Venezuelan smuggling boats from Navy vessels deployed off of the country’s coastline.

President Donald Trump on Saturday said that no American troops or equipment had been lost in the raid. It was not clear what losses Venezuela suffered; videos from Caracas showed explosions across the city, thought to be targeted at its air defense systems. The president also said that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela with the assistance of oil companies and that the U.S. was prepared to deploy troops to the country; the details of this plan were not elaborated on.

Federal law enforcement personnel stand watch outside the Metropolitan Detention Center as they await the arrival of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in New York. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

The U.S., along with much of Europe and South America, does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate winner of the 2024 election over accusations of vote-rigging; while Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has assumed leadership, opposition politicians have called for further U.S. involvement in deposing Maduro’s administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime critic of Maduro, on Sunday signaled hesitance to support the opposition, saying that the U.S. does not believe its leaders have popular support.

The news of Maduro’s capture generated significant shock among observers, along with condemnation and praise from various corners. New Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that he had called Trump to state his opposition to what he described as a violation of international law. Senator Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also criticized the strike, which they said was undertaken without Congressional approval. Reactions from the city’s Venezuelan community were cautiously optimistic, with many celebrating the leader’s downfall, but others concerned for the future and about Trump’s comments on the oil industry.

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