According to statements from U.S. officials, Nicolás Maduro arrived in the United States early Saturday under heavy security after what the Trump administration described as a dramatic cross-border operation.
Maduro was transported to Stewart International Airport, where officials said he was taken into U.S. custody. He was later flown by helicopter to Manhattan’s West Side and transferred by armored convoy to be processed by the Drug Enforcement Administration, authorities said. His wife, Cilia Flores, was transported alongside him.
Administration officials said Maduro was subsequently airlifted to Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn, where federal agents were positioned for his arrival.
The operation, which U.S. officials said occurred early Saturday morning, was ordered by President Donald Trump and was referred to by the administration as “Operation Absolute Resolve.” Officials said the mission involved elite U.S. military forces, including Delta Force, who allegedly carried out a raid at a compound in Caracas.
“The coordination, the stealth, the precision — the full reach of American justice was on display,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement.
Trump accused Maduro of leading what he described as a vast criminal enterprise tied to international drug trafficking.
“The illegitimate dictator Maduro was the kingpin of a massive narco-terrorist network flooding the United States with deadly drugs,” Trump said.
Maduro has faced U.S. narcotics and terrorism-related charges since 2020, which his government has long dismissed as politically motivated. Venezuelan officials condemned the operation, while crowds of Venezuelan Americans in New York were seen celebrating what they described as the fall of the longtime leader.
The operation followed weeks of escalating U.S. military and law-enforcement actions in the region, including strikes on vessels suspected of drug trafficking. Trump said the United States would temporarily oversee governance matters related to Venezuela, though no formal framework was immediately announced.
Independent confirmation of several aspects of the operation, including the circumstances of Maduro’s removal from Venezuela, was not immediately available.
