Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to face criminal charges in US after capture, Trump’s $50M bounty: Sen. Mike Lee

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro was captured alongside his wife by US forces during a high-stakes military operation Saturday morning, leaving the South American country in a constitutional crisis.

The 63-year-old, who has held power in the country since 2013, was taken by the US military after President Trump ordered airstrikes on several military bases across the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

Maduro is expected to face a trial for his charges when he arrives in the US, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, according to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) on X on Saturday.

“Just got off the phone with @SecRubio,” Lee wrote on X. “He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by US personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.

“This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect US personnel from an actual or imminent attack,” Lee added.

Maduro has been wanted by the United States since at least 2020, when the first Trump administration charged him with narco-terrorism, corruption, drug trafficking, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. 

Trump had placed an initial $15 million bounty for information leading to Maduro’s capture after the federal charges were filed in the Southern District of New York in March 2020.

In August, Trump increased the bounty to $50 million as officials accused Maduro of using foreign terrorist organizations like [Tren de Aragua], Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns to bring drugs and violence into the US.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has thus far seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in August, and “nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself, which represents a primary source of income for the deadly cartels based in Venezuela and Mexico.”

Maduro was flown out of Venezuela on Saturday morning, but it was unknown where the US military and law enforcement agents were transporting him.

“A new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone. He will now—finally—face justice for his crimes,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X.

Explosions were first reported in Caracas and neighboring states at around 2 a.m. local time.

Several military facilities, including the country’s largest complex, Fuerte Tiuna were struck, sparking a large fire, during the nighttime operation.

Trump praised the efforts of the “brilliant operation” as part of “a lot of good planning,” he told the New York Times.

The Trump administration has repeatedly called Maduro’s regime “illegitimate” and said he has remained in power because of rigged elections, including 2024, when he faced opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.

“The status quo with the Venezuelan regime is intolerable for the United States,” Rubio said in December.

“The illegitimate regime in Venezuela … invite[s] Hezbollah and Iran to operate from their territory [and] also allows [Columbian terror groups] ELN and the FARC dissidents not just to operate from inside of Venezuelan territory, but to control Venezuelan territory unencumbered, unimpeded,” he added.

Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who is next in line for the presidency according to the country’s constitution, has demanded “proof of life” of the captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to state media.

Rodríguez, a close ally of Maduro, revealed the government did not know the whereabouts of Maduro after he was flown out of the country.

Rodríguez, 56, has been a powerful figure in Venezuelan politics for decades, having begun in 2003 before ascending into the Hugo Chavez administration in 2006 and remaining a top figure in Maduro’s regime.

Allies of the Venezuelan dictator have denounced the US military operation, but European leaders have called for “restraint” respecting international law, but added that Maduro “lacks legitimacy.”

“The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition. Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint,” the European Union’s Kaja Kallas added.

Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado is viewed as a possible replacement by the people of Venezuela if Rodríguez fails to assume power.

Trump is expected to hold a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort at 11 a.m. Saturday.