In a daring intelligence-led operation, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was apprehended and flown to the United States to face trial. The meticulously planned mission, involving over 150 aircraft and covert operatives on the ground, represents a major development in the ongoing political crisis in Venezuela.
The operation, which unfolded over several months, was the result of extensive intelligence gathering by the CIA. A team of undercover officers was deployed to Venezuela in August 2025, operating in a “denied area” without the protection of diplomatic cover. They worked to gather detailed intelligence on Maduro’s whereabouts, recruiting a high-level government source within the president’s inner circle.
This intelligence, combined with technical data such as satellite imagery, allowed the US military to execute a lightning-fast raid on Maduro’s compound at Fuerte Tiuna in Caracas. Helicopter teams swooped in low, taking advantage of a strategically timed blackout of the city’s lights, which some speculate was achieved through cyber warfare tactics employed by US Cyber Command.
The operation was a resounding success, with only one US helicopter sustaining minor damage and no American casualties. However, 32 Cuban nationals, believed to be Maduro’s personal bodyguards, were killed in the assault. The speed and precision of the mission have led some to question whether elements within the Maduro regime may have facilitated the operation in some way.
Prior to the raid, the CIA had conducted a classified assessment of the potential outcomes of Maduro’s removal, concluding that working with elements of the existing regime offered the best chance for stability in Venezuela. This appears to have informed the decision to target Maduro himself, rather than attempting to install the opposition-in-exile in power.
The details of any back-channel negotiations with the Maduro regime remain shrouded in mystery, but they likely played a significant role in the success of the operation and the plans for Venezuela’s future. As Maduro is now in US custody, facing trial, the world watches anxiously to see how the situation in the troubled South American nation will unfold.
