Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York, following their dramatic capture by U.S. special forces in Caracas.
The couple arrived at the federal facility late Saturday evening after being processed at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) headquarters in Manhattan. Maduro is expected to make an initial court appearance as early as Monday on long-standing federal charges related to narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons possession.
U.S. officials confirmed that after their extraction from a fortified compound in Caracas during an overnight military operation on January 3, Maduro and Flores were initially flown by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship in the Caribbean. From there, they were transported to Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, before being helicoptered into the city for DEA processing.
President Donald Trump, who announced the operation on Truth Social, described it as a “large-scale strike” involving elite Delta Force units and airstrikes that neutralized Venezuelan air defenses. He posted a photo of Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima, blindfolded and handcuffed, and stated the U.S. would “run” Venezuela temporarily to facilitate a transition.
Maduro, indicted in 2020 in the Southern District of New York alongside his wife and others, faces charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation. He has repeatedly denied leading a drug cartel or any involvement in trafficking.
The MDC Brooklyn, known for housing high-profile detainees like Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ghislaine Maxwell, has faced criticism for harsh conditions. Maduro is being held in a high-security section as proceedings begin.
The operation, dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” has drawn international condemnation from allies like Russia and China, while celebrations erupted among Venezuelan expatriates in Florida and elsewhere. Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, now acting president, demanded proof of life and condemned the action as aggression.
The case intensifies U.S. efforts against what the Trump administration calls a “narco-state,” amid ongoing questions about the operation’s constitutionality and Venezuela’s future stability.
