TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was escorted out of the plane at Stewart Air National Guard Base in the state of New York, United States on Saturday US time or Sunday morning WIB (Western Indonesian Time), January 4, 2026, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The arrested Venezuelan leader was seen in a blurry footage wearing a blue jacket with his face covered. He was escorted down the plane steps by US officials and surrounded by dozens of law enforcement officers as he walked on the runway, as seen in the footage.
As reported by ABC News, Maduro was transferred by a US government plane from a US military base in Gitmo to New York.
Maduro is expected to helicopter to New York City, accompanied by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He will then be transported to a location in New York City in a convoy of vehicles for processing before being detained in jail.
Maduro was indicted in 2020 in the Southern District of New York on charges of drug terrorism conspiracy, cocaine import conspiracy, and weapons violations for allegedly colluding with the Colombian rebel group known by its initials, FARC, to "flood" the US with cocaine.
"As alleged, Maduro and the other defendants expressly intended to flood the United States with cocaine in order to undermine the health and wellbeing of our nation. Maduro very deliberately deployed cocaine as a weapon," claimed then US Attorney General, Geoffrey Berman, when the indictment was announced.
President Donald Trump announced that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been arrested and flown out of the country, but did not disclose where the US would take them.
Although the sources did not specifically mention where Maduro will be detained, defendants awaiting trial in federal court in Manhattan are usually held at MDC-Brooklyn.
Drug Charges
Earlier on the same day, Trump announced that his forces had launched a large-scale military operation in Venezuela.
Maduro faces four life sentences in the criminal indictment filed in the United States, according to court documents as reported by Sputnik and quoted by Antara.
US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will soon stand trial in the Southern District of New York Court.
In March 2020, Maduro and several alleged co-conspirators were indicted in four cases.
The charges include conspiracy related to narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking to the United States, and the use and possession of machine guns and explosives in narco-terrorism activities.
In addition, Maduro was also charged with conspiracy to possess and use the said weapons and explosives.
Each indictment carries a maximum life imprisonment sentence.
Earlier on the same day, US President Donald Trump declared that his forces had launched a large-scale attack on Venezuela.
Trump also announced that Maduro and his wife had been abducted and taken out of Venezuela.
However, the drug charges against Maduro have angered many. Because, on December 16, Trump pardoned former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernndez, who had previously been convicted in a US court on similar drug trafficking charges.
As reported by Axios, Trump's war on drugs may be sensational, but it does not always prioritize the entry of drugs into the United States.
The US apprehended Maduro overnight after weeks of diplomatic and military pressure, sending a large armada off the coast of Venezuela and repeatedly sinking suspected drug-carrying vessels near its waters.
Venezuela is a transit point for cocaine destined for the US, although the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says most comes through Mexico. Most of the cocaine reaching the US is cultivated in Colombia, Venezuela's neighbor.
Venezuela is not a significant source of fentanyl, although Trump has also claimed to target fentanyl shipments. The fentanyl supply chain usually flows from China, through Mexico, to the US.
The charges against Maduro do not even mention fentanyl, although Trump has openly mentioned it.
The US war on drugs against Venezuela is suspected to be not about drugs, but about ideology.
Maduro has been at odds with the US and Trump personally for a decade.
Read: Trump: US to Guide Venezuela Through 'Safe Transition'
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