"Happy New Year": Venezuela's Maduro's First Remark After Capture By US

A new video has surfaced showing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro being escorted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers inside the agency's headquarters in New York on Saturday.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured during a surprise attack by special US forces on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, early Saturday (local time). They were reportedly sleeping inside their residence at Caracas' high-security Ft Tiuna military compound during the pre-dawn raid.

Rapid Response 47, the official White House rapid response account, posted a video on X of Maduro's 'perp walk' inside the DEA office in lower Manhattan.

The video showed the 63-year-old leader, handcuffed and in a black hooded sweatshirt, walking down a hallway with a blue carpet labelled "DEA NYD". He was also heard saying "good night" and "Happy New Year" to the officials in the room.

Perp walked.pic.twitter.com/34iIsFUDdG

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 4, 2026

Another video showed Maduro landing on US soil. He was initially taken to a military base on Saturday evening and was then transferred to New York City.

URGENTE: Primera fotos y videos del narcotirano Nicolás Maduro #NicolasMaduro preso en New York. Maduro llevado a la oficina de la DEA La mejor noticia del mundo. Gracias Trump 🇺🇸 "VIVA VENEZUELA LIBRE" 🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/v8zWhPqLnH

— Ape𝕏 (@CubanOnlyTrump) January 4, 2026

Maduro and his wife have been charged with "narco-terrorism," importing tons of cocaine into the United States, and possession of illegal weapons.

From the DEA office, Maduro was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Centre, a federal facility in Brooklyn. The detention centre is the same jail where rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs was held throughout his trial last year.

How Nicolas Maduro Was Captured

The US launched "Operation Absolute Resolve" to capture Nicolas Maduro. It involved the elite US troops, including the Army's Delta Force, who took about 30 minutes to detain the Venezuelan leader.

Maduro was reportedly dragged into custody while he tried to flee to his steel-enforced safe room.

The US said no American troops were killed during the operation.

US intelligence agents were reportedly secretly monitoring Maduro's every movement since August.

"How he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore -- what were his pets," Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine said Saturday as he described the surveillance.

The mission also involved months of "pinpoint" planning and rehearsal.

US President Donald Trump said US forces built a replica house identical to the one where Maduro was staying. He said he watched the climax of the operation on a live feed.

"I watched it, literally, like I was watching a television show," he told Fox and Friends.

He described Maduro's compound as "a fortress".

Trump has said that the US will "run" Venezuela and tap its huge oil reserves. He said he was "designating people" from his cabinet to be in charge in Venezuela but gave no further details.

Why US Attacked Venezuela, Captured Nicolas Maduro

Donald Trump had for weeks threatened ground strikes on drug cartels in Venezuela.

He had also deployed a huge naval and aerial presence in the Caribbean, including the US' most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, and other warships.

He accused Nicolas Maduro of heading a drug cartel and said he is cracking down on trafficking. He has also cited illegal migration and the country's oil industry for the aggressive policy toward Venezuela.

The US and numerous European governments did not recognise Maduro's legitimacy, saying he stole elections in 2018 and 2024.

Maduro, in power since 2013 after taking over from leftist mentor Hugo Chavez, has denied any involvement in the narcotics trade, saying the US is seeking to overthrow him because Venezuela has the largest known reserves of oil on Earth.