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OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
3:00 PM – Saturday, January 3, 2026
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Venezuelan First Lady Cilia Flores, have touched down in Newburgh, New York, where they are to be held before they face trial on charges of narcoterrorism after their seizure at the hands of the United States.
The socialist dictator arrived on U.S. soil at Stewart International Airport in New York after 5:00 p.m. EST after “Operation Absolute Resolve” resulted in his capture early on Saturday morning in Caracas, Venezuela.
The plane that transported Maduro and his wife is owned by the Department of Justice, Fox News confirmed. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials met him on the tarmac as the plane landed.
Maduro left the aircraft surrounded by a large group of federal agents. Video footage, though dark, shows him appearing to have been shackled.
Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump posted an image of Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima wearing a grey sweat suit and having been supplied a water bottle.
Maduro and his wife have been indicted in the Southern District of New York, according to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who also previously announced a $50 million bounty for information leading to his arrest. The ousted president has denied any wrongdoing.
President Trump has built up pressure on Maduro for months, including “Operation Southern Spear,” in which the U.S. military conducted at least 35 known strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats from Venezuela, strengthening the U.S.’s military presence near the Venezuelan coast, declaring Maduro’s government to be a terror organization and seizing two oil tankers off the coast of the country.
Fox News has reported that the socialist leader could make an appearance in federal court as early as Monday.
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