Trump Claims U.S. Military Captures Venezuelan Leader Nicolas Maduro for Criminal Prosecution

By Jim Thomas | Saturday, 03 January 2026 12:39 PM EST

President Donald Trump said Saturday that U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife during a military operation, announcing they are being transported to the United States to face criminal prosecution in what he described as a decisive blow against international drug trafficking and regional instability.

Speaking at a Saturday afternoon press conference aired live on Newsmax and Newsmax2, Trump accused Maduro of overseeing a massive criminal enterprise responsible for drug trafficking, violence and instability affecting the United States.

“The illegitimate dictator, Maduro was the kingpin of a vast criminal network responsible for trafficking colossal amounts of deadly and illicit drugs into the United States, as alleged in the indictment, he personally oversaw the vicious cartel known as cartel de las Olas, which flooded our nation with lethal poison, responsible for the deaths of countless Americans, the many, many Americans, hundreds of thousands over the years of Americans died because of him,” Trump said.

Trump stated Maduro and his wife were taken into custody during a U.S. operation in Venezuela and are currently being transported by ship. “Maduro and his wife will soon face the full might of American justice and stand trial on American soil. Right now, they’re on a ship, they’ll be heading to ultimately New York, and then a decision will be made, I assume, between New York and Miami or Florida,” Trump said.

The indictment has been unsealed and can be viewed here. Trump said evidence gathered against Maduro would be presented in U.S. court proceedings. “But we have people where the overwhelming evidence of their crimes will be presented in a court of law. And I’ve seen it. I’ve seen what we have. It’s both horrible and breathtaking that something like this could have been allowed to take place for many years,” he said.

The president described Maduro as having remained in power beyond the expiration of his elected term and accused him of waging a sustained campaign of violence and subversion. “After his term as president of Venezuela expired, Maduro remained in power and waged a ceaseless campaign of violence, terror and subversion against the United States of America, threatening not only our people but the stability of the entire region,” Trump said.

Trump also linked Maduro to the expansion of violent transnational gangs inside the United States. “In addition to trafficking gigantic amounts of illegal drugs that inflicted untold suffering and human destruction all over the country, all over, in particular the United States, Maduro sent savage and murderous gangs, including the bloodthirsty prison gang Tren de Aragua, to terrorize American communities nationwide,” he said.

Trump cited specific incidents involving gang activity in Colorado. “They were in Colorado. They took over apartment complexes. They cut the fingers off people if they call the police. They were brutal, but they’re not so brutal now,” Trump said.