Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been captured by the US military and may await trial in a federal prison in New York, where a slew of high-profile criminals have previously been held.
President Donald Trump announced the military mission in the early hours on Saturday morning, confirming that a 'large scale strike' was carried out in Venezuela.
'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,' he said.
'This operation was done in conjunction with US Law Enforcement.'
Attorney General Pam Bondi later confirmed that Maduro is facing criminal drug trafficking charges from a 2020 indictment in New York.
Sources told ABC News that Maduro was being flown to New York, and although it's unclear where he will be held, defendants awaiting trial in federal court are typically held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Luigi Mangione, who is awaiting a murder trial in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is currently in custody at MDC.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs also spent time at MDC. He was transferred to a federal prison in New Jersey in October.
Ghislaine Maxwell was held in the detention center for her arrest on sex-trafficking charges in 2020, while R. Kelly was transferred to MDC in 2021 before he faced trial on sex-trafficking and racketeering charges.
Maduro's whereabouts remain unknown and in an address, the country's vice president Delcy Rodríguez demanded an 'immediate proof of life'.
Trump said that more details would be released in a press conference at Mar-a-Lago later this afternoon.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Nicolas Maduro will 'soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts' after he was arrested in Venezuela.
Writing on social media early Saturday morning, Bondi cited the indictment against Maduro charging him 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.'
Maduro was indicted by the Southern District of New York in 2020, but it wasn’t clear what his exact whereabouts were on Saturday morning.
Bondi thanked Trump and the US military, who she said 'conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers.'
Nicolas Maduro is facing criminal drug trafficking charges from a 2020 indictment during Donald Trump's first term.
Maduro was charged with 'narco-terrorism' and conspiracy to import cocaine.
The Trump administration offered a $15 million bounty at the time, which was increased to $25 million last January.
The US president increased the bounty again in August to $50 million. The Trump administration has maintained that Maduro is the leader of a terrorist organization called the Cartel de los Soles.
Trump said during a phone call with Fox News that Maduro wanted to negotiate days before US forces captured him.
'I didn’t want to negotiate,' Trump told the station.
'I said, "Nope, we got to do it."'
The president added that the US will be heavily involved in the next steps for Venezuelan leadership.
Sources familiar with the US military operation told CNN that Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were dragged from their bedroom during the raid.
The pair was reportedly captured in the middle of the night while they slept.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15430801/Venezuela-live-Latest-updates-explosions.html
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