NEW: Venezuelan Dictator
In a pre-dawn operation, U.S. military aircraft flew over Caracas, marking the start of a dramatic intervention. Shortly after, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was apprehended.
This decisive action culminated years of hidden pressure and planning into a single, open strike. U.S. special forces targeted key military sites in the capital to enable the mission.
A ground team then penetrated the presidential compound, successfully capturing both Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were swiftly transported to an extraction point and flown out of the country under tight security.
Hours later, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi unveiled a comprehensive indictment in a New York federal court. Maduro was charged with narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and weapons conspiracies spanning decades.
Prosecutors allege he co-led the “Cartel of the Suns,” using Venezuela’s state institutions to partner with the FARC and traffic cocaine into the United States. Matching charges were filed against Flores.
This indicates the U.S. aims to prosecute the regime’s central power structure, not merely its public leader. The legal strategy targets the entire inner circle.
With an arraignment pending, Maduro now faces the likelihood of a lifetime trial in an American courtroom, a stark contrast to his former rule by decree.
