Maduro Captured: U.S. Delta Force Raid Secures Venezuelan Leader, Confirming Direct Military Intervention

CARACAS/WASHINGTON — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is in U.S. custody following a targeted raid by U.S. Delta Force commandos in the early hours of Saturday, January 3, 2026. The operation represents the definitive climax of "Operation Southern Spear," confirming direct military engagement between the United States and Venezuela and placing the Venezuelan leader under the physical control of American personnel.

According to CBS News, the extraction was executed directly by U.S. special operations forces. This distinction is critical: Maduro was not detained by internal coup plotters or allied proxy forces, but by U.S. military assets. This satisfies the strict criteria for direct U.S. government custody, effectively precluding scenarios of voluntary exile. With Maduro now under U.S. operational control, potential asylum routes to nations such as Russia or Qatar are nullified.

The Saturday raid follows a rapid escalation of kinetic activity that breached the threshold of "military engagement" days prior. On December 31, 2025, a U.S. drone strike targeted a docking facility on Venezuelan soil—an action confirmed by President Trump to target narcotics logistics. That strike marked the first kinetic impact on Venezuelan land territory during this campaign, preceding the capture of the head of state.

The capture follows a "naval quarantine" implemented in mid-December involving the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group. U.S. forces have reportedly seized or struck over 30 vessels linked to illicit trafficking since late 2025, effectively blockading the regime's revenue streams prior to the ground operation.

The White House has cited 2020 narco-terrorism indictments as the legal framework for the mission. With Maduro secured, U.S. forces are now focused on his extraction from Venezuelan territory, a move expected to confirm his departure from the country within the coming days.