US Vice President JD Vance on Saturday said Venezuela had ignored repeated US offers to resolve the standoff, asserting that the capture of President Nicolas Maduro showed that “President Trump means what he says.”
“The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States,” Vance said in a post on X.
Backing Washington’s justification for the operation, Vance reiterated that Maduro was a fugitive under US law. “You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas,” he said.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday praised the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by American forces, as Attorney General Pam Bondi said the leftist leader would face the “full wrath” of US justice.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face drug trafficking and terrorism-related charges in the United States, which has mounted months of pressure against the Venezuelan government.
US media reported that elite Delta Force troops detained the couple amid airstrikes on Caracas, with Trump set to provide further details at a press conference scheduled for 11:00 am (1600 GMT).
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement,” Trump added from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
In a brief phone interview with The New York Times, Trump described the operation as “a brilliant operation, actually.”
“A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” he said, declining to say whether congressional approval had been sought.
Attorney General Bondi said Maduro and Flores had been indicted in New York on charges including “Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy,” conspiracy to import cocaine, and weapons-related offences.
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Bondi said on X.
Maduro was first indicted in 2020. In August, the Trump administration doubled the reward for information leading to his arrest to $50 million, accusing him of leading the alleged “Cartel of the Suns” drug trafficking network.
A US senator quoted Secretary of State Marco Rubio as saying the military action was complete, with “no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody.”
Republican Senator Mike Lee said the strikes were carried out to “protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.”
Rubio later reposted earlier remarks stating Maduro was not Venezuela’s legitimate president following elections criticised by international observers.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau described the development as a “new dawn” for Venezuela. “The tyrant is gone. He will now — finally — face justice for his crimes,” Landau wrote.
Trump has previously accused Venezuela of exporting drugs to the US and seizing American oil interests. In December, he said “it would be smart for (Maduro)” to step down and warned that the leader’s “days are numbered.”
The capture came just days after Maduro offered cooperation on drug trafficking and illegal migration, and coincided with the anniversary of the 1990 arrest of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega by US forces.
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