On the early morning of Jan. 3, 2026, the United States launched a series of missile attacks on Venezuela. At the same time, a group of U.S. federal agents prepared to officially start their mission: capture Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife. The operation involved aerial strikes and a special forces raid on Maduro’s compound, resulting in Maduro’s removal from power and transportation to the United States to face federal criminal charges. The vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, was made acting president until the next election. After the invasion, Venezuela declared a state emergency throughout the country. More than a dozen innocent people were killed due to these aerial attacks.
63 year old, Nicolás Maduro Moros became president of Venezuela following Hugo Chavez’s death in 2013.
Maduro declared victory in a presidential election in 2018 against Henri Falcón. Maduro led the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and continued Chávez’s “Chavismo” ideology, a form of left-wing Bolivarian socialism.
Photo credits: CNN world
Nicolás Maduro was seized by U.S. forces because the United States government charged him with serious federal crimes, including: Narco-terrorism, Cocaine trafficking, Conspiracy to import illegal drugs into the U.S. and Possession of machineguns and destructive devices.
These charges were filed in the Southern District of New York, and U.S. authorities argued that Maduro’s regime protected and facilitated drug trafficking networks that hurt the United States.
The U.S. had been building these criminal accusations for years. Indictments against Maduro were first brought as far back as 2020, and a 50-million-dollar reward was offered for information leading to his arrest.
President Maduro was arrested at his personal residence. His home was found to be inside of Fuerte Tiuna, a military base in Caracas, Venezuela. Caracas is a city approximately 6 miles away from the Southeast side of the Caribbean Sea.
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly stated that the U.S. was “in charge” of Venezuela temporarily and emphasized plans to oversee a transition and potentially engage U.S. companies in rebuilding Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.
Taking this into consideration, Venezuela has entered a period of political uncertainty and power struggles between Maduro followers and rivals. Ongoing debates about legitimacy and future elections continue.
