On Jan. 3, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had officially captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, after a successful military extraction located in the capital, Caracas, according to BBC News.
The capture of President Maduro was part of the “monthslong” campaign, which was a campaign executed by the U.S. government to expose Maduro and intimidate the country with the use of military pressure.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out [of Venezuela],” Trump said on Truth Social, according to CNN.
The U.S. captured both President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, under allegations of drug trafficking, working with gangs that pose as terrorist organizations, the influx of illegal Venezuelan immigrants in the United States, and allegedly “stealing” United States’ oil, claims that Maduro denies, according to CBS News.
Maduro was president for more than ten years before he got captured by the US and faced narco-terrorism charges, which is the use of violence by drug traffickers to coerce governments to change their anti-drug policies.
Federal prosecutors dubbed President Maduro as the “de facto but illegitimate ruler of the country”. They also accused the former Venezuelan president for allowing himself to govern his country via corruption and to only benefit those apart of the former president’s regime, his family members, and himself, according to ABC News.
While President Maduro and his wife are still in U.S. custody, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez came into power as the interim president of the country on Jan. 5 for the time being while Maduro is away.
Rodríguez received public support from President Trump and his administration, however Trump claimed that Rodríguez could face bigger and more serious penalties than Maduro if she did not comply to U.S. demands, according to Time Magazine.
The fate of the Venezuelan government still remains undecided as the country faces new leadership and changes within their government.
