On January 3rd, Nicolas Maduro Moros was captured by the United States in a swift, surprise military operation. Maduro, at the time of capture, was the president of Venezuela and had been since 2013. Currently, he is being held in U.S. custody to be put on trial for charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking, and possession of a machine gun.
Maduro is considered to be a highly controversial figure, as he’s been drawing heat from his people since his reign started. He’s been accused of rigging the 2018 and 2024 elections, with the latter resulting in the United States refusing to recognize him as the official president of Venezuela.
His 12 year run was filled with links to corruption and organized crime. He managed and led the Cartel of the Suns, which is the name of a group made up of high ranking officers and politicians that participate in illegal activity, most prominently drug trafficking. Journalists coined this name back in 1993, when two generals of the Guardia Nacional Bolivariana (GNB) were being investigated for drug trafficking. Since they were brigade commanders, they dawned a sun insignia on their epaulettes, thus they became the Cartel of the Suns.
He had another stint in 2020 when he was charged in New York for similar crimes of narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking, conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. These charges add up to a minimum of 60 years in a federal prison with the maximum being a grand total of four life sentences. However, he was not arrested, only indicted with a 50 million dollar reward for any information leading to his capture.
It would take him 6 years to get arrested by the United States in an operation that many say was an illegal invasion by the US. Meanwhile, the Trump administration argued it was a justified action due to Maduro’s narco-terrorism charges. The operation itself was titled “Operation Absolute Resolve,” being a successful effort to capture Maduro and extradite him to the United States. It started when the U.S. sent air forces to bomb Venezuela while a ground team worked to attack Maduro’s complex in Caracas.
When Maduro got transferred to the U.S., he pleaded “not guilty” on January 5th in a Manhattan federal court. His next court date is in March of this year, but a full jury trial will take years to put together.
In the aftermath of his arrest, the Venezuelan government has deemed the operation as unlawful and Delcy Rodriguez has taken over his spot. The people of Venezuela have rejoiced as a man they viewed harshly is gone. But, it then leads them to wonder what’s next and how Venezuela will be run going forward.
