By The Wall Street Journal
In a dramatic overnight operation, the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on Saturday and transported them to New York to face federal charges related to cocaine trafficking. The mission was led by elite special operations forces and was supported by every branch of the U.S. military, as well as intelligence and law enforcement agencies, officials said.
Here's what we know about how the events unfolded, based on a review of satellite imagery, flight tracking data, audio records, videos, photography and people familiar with the operation.
The Deployment: 'The Right Time To Do It.'
After months of planning, the operation was set into motion at 8 p.m. Caracas time on Friday, when B-1 bombers lifted off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, according to flight tracking data. Roughly 150 other aircraft from bases across the Western Hemisphere followed, said Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The aircraft converged midair and headed toward Venezuela. At 11:46 p.m. Trump gave final authorization for the U.S. forces to proceed with the mission to seize Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
Special-operations aircraft launched from sea-based flight decks and moved on Caracas, as jet fighters, bomber planes and other aircraft struck Venezuela's air defenses and provided cover for the elite units tasked with capturing Maduro.
"The weather broke just enough, clearing a path that only the most skilled aviators in the world could maneuver through," said Caine.
"It was the right time to do it," Trump said in an interview on Fox News.
The Strikes: 'It Was Dark, It Was Deadly.'
Around 2 a.m. in Caracas, large sections of the city went dark -- a moment Trump later touted in a news conference. Residents filmed videos from their balconies and windows as U.S. choppers thundered overhead and explosions began to rock the capital.
"It was dark, and it was deadly," Trump said at a press conference Saturday. American warplanes attacked critical infrastructure throughout the country such as air bases, a major port, and telecommunication infrastructure.
The operation caused significant damage to Fort Tiuna, a large military complex and neighborhood where many government officials reside.
U.S. forces heavily targeted La Guaira, striking its military base and the city's port -- one of the country's main maritime hubs.
Air defenses were destroyed, clearing a path for low-flying helicopters to ferry U.S. military forces and law enforcement officers to Maduro's location, according to Caine.
The Extraction: 'On American Soil'
By 4:29 a.m., Maduro and Flores were in custody, according to Caine. The couple was whisked to the warship USS Iwo Jima and then transported to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Later, a Justice Department plane carried the couple to Stewart International Airport, outside New York City. They then traveled by helicopter to Manhattan.
A video posted Saturday night on X and retweeted by the White House shows Maduro in custody in New York, flanked by Drug Enforcement Administration agents.
"Maduro and his wife will soon face the full might of American justice and stand trial on American soil," Trump said.
Maduro could appear in federal court as soon as Monday.
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Shelby Holliday, Milàn Czerny, Emma Scott, Caitlin Ostroff, Brenna T. Smith, Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky, Dan Lyon and Belle Cushing contributed to this report
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 04, 2026 00:17 ET (05:17 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
