Hours after President Donald Trump announced the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a dramatic commando operation in Caracas, carried out amid widespread U.S. airstrikes on the capital, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Saturday that Maduro, who was seized along with his wife, Cilia Flores, will be brought to the United States to stand trial.
Maduro was first indicted in 2020 in federal court in New York on drug trafficking charges along with other senior figures in his government. Bondi’s statement indicated that an updated indictment has now been filed. She said Maduro has been charged in the Southern District of New York with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, weapons possession and conspiracy to possess firearms and machine guns. Bondi said Flores will also face trial, though she did not specify the charges against her. Flores was not indicted when the original charges were filed six years ago. Bondi said the two will soon face what she described as the full force of the American justice system in US courts.
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(Photo: ZURIMAR CAMPOS / VENEZUELAN PRESIDENCY / AFP, lev radin/shutterstock, Luis JAIMES / AFP)
CNN meanwhile reported new details about the operation in which Maduro was captured. A source familiar with the matter said Trump approved the mission several days ago and that the CIA identified Maduro’s location, after the president authorized the agency months earlier to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. Maduro was seized by commandos from Delta Force, the elite US unit that also carried out the 2019 raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Explosions and helicopters: footage of the US attack on Caracas
While Trump’s long-term goal is the removal of Venezuela’s socialist government, it remains unclear what will follow Maduro’s capture. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who is expected to assume presidential duties, said Venezuela has no information on Maduro’s whereabouts and demanded immediate proof of life from the Trump administration for both Maduro and the first lady.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, a close ally of Maduro, urged Venezuelans in a televised address to maintain faith in the leadership and not to give in to despair. He also claimed, without providing evidence, that US forces bombed civilian buildings during the strikes earlier Saturday.
First published: 15:34, 01.03.26