Venezuelan President flown to New York after US operation

New Delhi, Jan 04: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown to New York after being apprehended by US forces, according to international media reports. Their aircraft landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base before they were transferred by helicopter to Manhattan’s Westside Heliport.

Maduro was then driven to the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s headquarters for booking and charges under US law, US media said.

He is expected to be moved to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn ahead of a court appearance in Manhattan on drug trafficking and weapons charges. The facility is known for holding high-profile detainees, the BBC reported.

The capture followed US strikes on Venezuela on Saturday. A 25-page US indictment accuses Maduro, his wife, their son, other politicians, and an alleged cartel leader of running a violent cocaine trafficking network, allegations the Venezuelan leader has long dismissed as an attempt at regime change.

US President Donald Trump said the United States would “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” is ensured. Speaking at a news conference, Trump said US oil companies would enter Venezuela, invest billions of dollars to repair its “badly broken” oil infrastructure, and “start making money for the country”. He described Venezuela’s oil sector as “a total bust for a long period of time”.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington’s next steps would depend on the Venezuelan government’s actions in the coming days. Venezuela has declared a state of national emergency and condemned the US operation as “military aggression”, with Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez insisting Maduro remains the country’s only legitimate leader. The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on Monday at the request of Colombia, with support from Russia and China.