Geopolitics › Latin America › Venezuela
US raid captures Nicolás Maduro
Jan 3, 2026· Treaty or event
FactTreaties, membership, measured data, events.
On January 3, 2026, US forces struck Caracas and seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, flying him to New York for trial.
See it on the Geopolitics map →The picture
After months of naval buildup and drug-boat strikes, US special forces raided Maduro's compound at Fort Tiuna in Caracas, backed by airstrikes on air defenses. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken to New York, where he pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism and cocaine-trafficking charges first filed in 2020. Dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban security personnel were killed; estimates vary. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez became acting president and soon signed oil deals with Washington, while Trump said the US would oversee the transition.
Why it matters
It was the most direct US removal of a Latin American leader since Panama's Manuel Noriega in 1989, signaling Washington's readiness to use force in its hemisphere.
Key facts and numbers
US court filings in the Southern District of New York, Pentagon briefings, Venezuelan and Cuban government statements, and the UN Security Council's emergency debate.
What to watch
Legality is disputed: the US called it a law-enforcement operation against an indicted trafficker; critics say it violated the UN Charter and bypassed Congress. Venezuela's political future is open.
Inside this (1)
Connections (3)
▸US raid captures Nicolás Maduro was ordered by Donald TrumpFact
The relationship
Trump authorized the raid after months of escalating pressure: a $50 million bounty, labeling Maduro's alleged Cartel de los Soles a terrorist group, drug-boat strikes and a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers. He announced the capture himself and said the US would run Venezuela's transition.
Since when and why
Ordered from Washington; carried out overnight January 2–3, 2026 in Caracas by US special forces; announced by Trump the same day.
How we know
Trump's own statements, Pentagon briefings and the Justice Department's prosecution of Maduro in federal court in New York.
What to watch
Whether a president can order such a raid without congressional approval, and what it means for future US action in the hemisphere, are debated.
▸US raid captures Nicolás Maduro elevated Delcy RodríguezFact
The relationship
By seizing Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and flying him to New York for trial, the US raid left a vacuum at the top. Rather than install the opposition, Washington accepted the constitutional successor, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who kept the chavista state, military and ruling party intact while bending to US demands.
Since when and why
Caracas, January 3–5, 2026: the raid, then a Supreme Tribunal order naming her acting president and her swearing-in before the National Assembly on January 5.
How we know
The court ruling, her swearing-in, and statements by President Trump and US officials that they would work with her are all on the public record.
What to watch
Reports in 2025 said the Rodríguez siblings had floated a 'Maduro-less' government to US contacts; how much she knew or arranged in advance is unproven.
▸US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean preceded US raid captures Nicolás MaduroFact
The relationship
The strikes were the visible start of a pressure campaign. Officials linked targeted boats to Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang and to Maduro, whom the US called a narco-terrorist; the naval forces massed for the strikes became the platform for the January 2026 raid.
Since when and why
Caribbean waters near Venezuela, September 2025 to January 2026, under US Southern Command and Operation Southern Spear.
How we know
The same buildup, carrier group and command served both, and officials described both as part of the fight against 'narco-terrorism'.
What to watch
Whether the strikes were mainly counter-drug operations or regime-change pressure from the start is disputed; a 2025 US intelligence assessment reportedly found Maduro's government did not direct Tren de Aragua.