On Jan. 3, the United States conducted a large-scale land strike in Venezuela, leading to the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro. Here, a port in La Guaira, Venezuela, can be seen after reportedly being bombed by U.S. forces. (Photo credit: Jesus Vargas / Getty Images, and Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
Armed Conflict With Venezuelan Cartels Has Been Ongoing For Months
Today, Jan. 3, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were arrested by U.S. Special Forces troops in an armed land strike in Caracas, Venezuela.
This comes after months of tension between the United States and Maduro’s regime. Still, the tension between the United States and Venezuela goes back to Venezuela’s 2018 election, which was allegedly marred by election interference by Maduro.
When President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president on Jan. 20, 2025, one of his first executive orders instituted a process for designating cartels as terrorist organizations.
The high-profile gang Tren de Aragua, which has its origins in Venezuela, was designated a transnational terrorist organization months later, with sanctions placed on nations receiving Venezuelan oil.
Since September, there have been significant airstrikes conducted by the United States against alleged narcoterrorists transporting drugs in boats to the United States.
On Oct. 2, 2025, the Pentagon announced in a memo sent to members of Congress that the United States was officially in an armed conflict with the cartels.
This was followed by the Department of State designating Venezuelan-based Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization in November.
By December 16, Trump had designated the Venezuelan regime under President Nicolás Maduro as a terrorist organization, announcing that a blockade had been established with the largest Naval armada “ever assembled in South America.”
Now, on Jan. 3, Trump shared on Truth Social that a “large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader” had resulted in the arrest of Maduro.
See his full post, here:
Trump then went on to share an image of Maduro in custody, reportedly aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
That image can be seen, here:
Trump’s Remarks On The Military Strikes In Venezuela And Arrest Of Maduro
Following the military strike conducted in Venezuela on Jan. 3, Trump held a press conference at Mar-a-Lago.
“Overwhelming American military power — air, land, and sea — was used to launch a spectacular assault,” Trump said. “It was an assault like people have not seen since World War 2.”
Describing the operation as a move against a heavily defended fortress in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
Trump went on to liken this operation to the action taken by his administration during his first term as president, citing the 2019 killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He also cited Operation Midnight Hammer from last June, which saw the U.S. bomb three nuclear sites in Iran.
“It was dark, and it was deadly,” Trump said, adding that Maduro and his wife were captured and now face “American justice.”
Trump added, “I want to thank the men and women of our military who achieved such an extraordinary success overnight with breathtaking speed, power, and competence.”
In this operation, Trump said, “Not one piece of military equipment was lost. Not one service member was, more importantly, killed.”
“We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” Trump said. “We want peace, liberty, and justice for the great people of Venezuela.”
Trump also threatened conducting a “second wave” of strikes, which he said would be “much bigger” if it was needed in the aftermath of the first strike.
He concluded his remarks stating that the Western hemisphere was “a much safer place to be” following the removal of Maduro.
It was noted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Congress could not be notified about the strike ahead of time, as it would’ve risked the operation.
Watch the full press conference, here:
Charges Filed Against Maduro
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Jan. 3 that Maduro and his wife have been indicted in the Southern District of New York, where they will be tried.
Charges in the indictment were detailed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, listing:
- Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy;
- Cocaine Importation Conspiracy;
- Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices; and
- Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.
See her full post, here:
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 3, 2026
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