On Saturday afternoon, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were escorted from a Department of Justice (DOJ) aircraft by federal agents in upstate New York. This followed their capture by U.S. forces at their residence in South America earlier the same day.
According to a source who spoke with Fox News, the couple is expected to be taken to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) headquarters before being processed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Maduro faces charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession, as well as conspiracy to possess, machine guns and destructive devices, all targeting the United States.
The indictment also implicates his wife and son as co-defendants in these charges.
A DOJ aircraft carrying Maduro and his wife touched down at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, on Saturday, as reported by WNYW.
President Donald Trump posted a photo of Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima following his capture. However, due to the darkness, neither Maduro nor his wife were clearly visible as they disembarked in New York.
“Operation Absolute Resolve” follows a series of U.S. military strikes on suspected drug vessels allegedly tied to the Venezuelan regime in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific.
The Venezuelan government said in a statement the attack was carried out to seize the country’s oil and minerals, and was an “attempt to impose a colonial war to destroy the republican form of government and force a ‘regime change,’ in alliance with the fascist oligarchy.”
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro is led by officials while in custody from a DOJ airplane Saturday in upstate New York. (ABC Affiliate WABC via Reuters)
Trump warned the U.S. is prepared to stage a “second and much larger attack,” confirming U.S. forces remain in position.
“We’re there now, and we’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place,” Trump said.
Police patrol the West Side Heliport in New York City, Saturday, ahead of the expected arrival of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro and his wife arrived in the U.S. after his capture by U.S. forces in Caracas. ( Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
The U.S. will remain in control of Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said.
The operation comes nearly 40 years after the U.S. military last removed a leader in Latin America.
Panama dictator Manuel Noriega was successfully ousted in 1989, though it spurred long-term challenges in stabilizing governance.
While Venezuelan celebrations began in other countries, Fox News reported those inside the country were stockpiling food amid fears of instability.
