Inside the covert operation that captured Maduro

CIA’s covert Maduro operation signals sharper strategy

When US forces moved swiftly to seize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, the public explanation focused on military precision and surprise. What remained largely out of sight was the role played by a covert CIA team operating inside Venezuela for months beforehand.

According to people briefed on the operation, the CIA did far more than quietly observe. Its officers carried out sabotage, recruited sources close to Maduro, tracked his movements in real time, and fed intelligence directly to US military commanders as the raid unfolded. The result was an operation that reflected not just close coordination between intelligence agencies and the Pentagon, but a broader shift in where and how the CIA is choosing to operate, the New York Times reported.

A renewed focus on Latin America

Senior US officials say the Venezuela mission illustrates the CIA’s new emphasis on Latin America and the Caribbean. In a closed-door briefing to US Congress earlier this month, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said foreign intelligence collection in the region had increased by roughly 51 percent during his tenure. The number of human sources, he said, had risen by 61 percent.

The specific figures remain classified, and the CIA declined to comment publicly. But officials familiar with the briefing described the message as clear: the agency believes it has been underinvested in the region for years, and that gap is now being closed.

Pentagon officials had previously complained that U.S. intelligence on Venezuela lagged behind that of allies such as Britain. The Maduro operation was, in part, an answer to that criticism.

Operating without a safety net

Placing a covert team inside Venezuela carried unusual risks. The United States has no diplomatic relations with the Maduro government, and the US embassy in Caracas has been closed for years. That meant CIA officers on the ground lacked the diplomatic cover and protections normally available in hostile environments.

Officials said the team spent months monitoring Maduro’s routines and movements, quietly building a network of sources capable of providing reliable, time-sensitive information. That intelligence proved critical once the military phase began.

Ten days before the raid that led to Maduro’s capture, the CIA also carried out a covert strike on a dock where a Venezuelan gang was allegedly loading drugs onto boats, according to people briefed on the planning. The action was intended to disrupt criminal networks while testing operational conditions on the ground.

Trump’s unusually open posture

CIA involvement in overseas military operations often stays hidden for years, if not decades. This time, the secrecy has been thinner.

US President Donald Trump publicly confirmed that he had authorised CIA covert actions in Venezuela, even referencing details of the port operation during a radio interview. After the raid, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, openly credited the CIA and other intelligence agencies for tracking Maduro and preparing the ground.

“We watched, we waited, we prepared,” General Caine said, describing months of intelligence work that preceded the military strike.

Ratcliffe, officials said, met regularly with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and senior military leaders throughout last summer and fall to coordinate planning.

A more aggressive CIA

Since taking office, Ratcliffe has promised to revive what he sees as the CIA’s core mission: recruiting spies, expanding intelligence collection, and being willing to conduct covert action when ordered. The Venezuela operation is the clearest public example so far of that approach.

US officials argue that the results justify the risks. A senior official declined to confirm operational specifics but said the CIA team provided real-time support before and during the raid, ensuring that US forces could move quickly and safely.

Critics, however, are likely to question whether such aggressive operations, particularly in a region with a long history of US intervention, could carry long-term political and diplomatic costs.

What this signals going forward

The seizure of Maduro was not just a dramatic moment in US–Venezuela relations. It was also a signal about how the Trump administration intends to use intelligence power in its second term.

Latin America, long a secondary priority compared to China, Russia, or the Middle East, is being pulled back into sharper focus. And the CIA, under Ratcliffe, appears more willing to accept risk, operate without diplomatic cover, and integrate directly with military planning.

For now, the administration is calling it a success. But the full implications of this more assertive intelligence posture may only become clear with time.