The first visuals of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro emerged on Sunday, showing him handcuffed and flanked by armed personnel while being escorted through a hallway inside the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) headquarters in New York City.
The video was released following Maduro’s capture in a US military operation and his subsequent transfer to the United States along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
In the video, Maduro can be seen wishing ‘Happy New Year’ to the US officials as they walk him into the drug agency office.
Perp walked.pic.twitter.com/34iIsFUDdG
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 4, 2026
According to US officials, Maduro and Flores were apprehended during a large-scale operation carried out in Caracas on Saturday and flown out of Venezuela to New York. News agency AP reported that the two are likely to be held in federal custody and face criminal proceedings in connection with a Justice Department indictment accusing them of involvement in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
US President Donald Trump, addressing a press conference after the operation, said Washington would temporarily administer Venezuela. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” Trump said, adding that the United States would tap Venezuela’s oil reserves and sell “large amounts” to other countries.
US officials said the operation, codenamed “Absolute Resolve,” had been planned and rehearsed for months. Once launched, it was completed in under 30 minutes and led to the end of Maduro’s rule within hours, they added.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Supreme Court moved to fill the leadership vacuum. The Constitutional Chamber ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the role of acting president following Maduro’s detention. In its ruling, the court said Rodríguez would take over “the office of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the Nation.”
The court further said it would deliberate on the matter to “determine the applicable legal framework to guarantee the continuity of the State, the administration of government, and the defense of sovereignty in the face of the forced absence of the President of the Republic.”
Further developments are awaited as legal and political responses unfold in both Venezuela and the United States.
