US Raid Seizes Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Wife, Cilia Flores, Indicted on Narco-Terrorism

The raid came in the dead of night, swift and merciless.

U.S. special forces—led by elite Delta Force operators, with FBI agents embedded—stormed Nicolás Maduro‘s presidential residence in Caracas, dragging the Venezuelan leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their bedroom in a meticulously planned operation.

By dawn, both were airborne, flown out of the country aboard a military transport, bound for American soil where justice had waited years.

President Donald Trump broke the news on Truth Social at 4:21 a.m. ET: “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.”

Hours later, Attorney General Pam Bondi delivered the legal hammer on social media: “Nicolás Maduroand his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolás Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.”

Bondi added the flourish that sealed the moment: “They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts. On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers.”

The indictment builds on a 2020 sealed charge against Maduro for narco-terrorism—accusing him of turning Venezuela into a “narco-state” via the Cartel de los Soles, flooding U.S. streets with cocaine in partnership with FARC rebels.

This fresh filing ropes in Flores for the first time, expanding the web of alleged corruption, drug trafficking, and weapons possession aimed “against the United States.” Caracas awoke to chaos: explosions rocking Fuerte Tiuna military complex and La Carlota airbase, smoke billowing, power outages gripping neighborhoods.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded “proof of life,” condemning the strikes as “imperialist aggression” that killed officials, soldiers, and civilians. State media vowed resistance; crowds gathered in defiance.

The operation caps Trump‘s relentless 2025 pressure campaign: naval blockades, drone hits on “narco-boats,” and escalating rhetoric branding Maduro‘s regime a terrorist cartel. Sources say months of CIA-FBI-military planning culminated in this “law enforcement extraction“—justified under executive authority to enforce standing indictments.

Global reaction split sharply. Allies like Russia and Iran decried “barbarism.” Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called it an “unacceptable line.” But Trump allies cheered: Secretary of State Marco Rubio reposted old posts labeling Maduro illegitimate.

Oil markets surged 5%; hemispheric nerves frayed. Maduro, 63, the bus driver-turned-successor to Hugo Chávez, clung to power through disputed elections and economic collapse.

Flores, his influential lawyer-wife, stood as first lady and political powerhouse. Now, in U.S. custody—likely en route to Manhattan federal court—they face trials that could imprison them for life.

From Miraflores Palace to a New York holding cell: the narco-dictator’s fall, scripted by American resolve. One raid. One indictment. A hemisphere forever changed.