Criminal Law Library Blog
Condensed from **“How the US Operation to Capture Maduro Unfolded” by Ryan Morgan, The Epoch Times (Jan. 3, 2026).
Late on January 2, 2026, President Donald Trump ordered a carefully planned U.S. special operations mission to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. Within five hours, U.S. forces had landed, overcome resistance, and exited Venezuelan airspace with Maduro and his wife in custody , all without any reported American casualties.
The mission, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, reflected months of preparation. Prior to the raid, the U.S. had built up military assets in the region , including warships, aircraft, and Marines , and repeatedly tightened pressure on Maduro through strikes on drug-related targets and a naval blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers.