Metro53 - New York (Web Desk) – Details have emerged about what happened to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores following their arrest.
Maduro was captured early Saturday morning in a sudden U.S. special forces operation in the capital, Caracas. According to CNN, the raid was executed in complete secrecy. Sources say U.S. forces entered Maduro and Flores’ bedroom in the middle of the night while they were asleep, dragged them out, and took them into immediate U.S. custody.
Hours later, U.S. President Donald Trump shared a photo of Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima. In the image, Maduro appeared in a gray tracksuit, holding a water bottle, wearing a mask over his eyes and headphones on his ears.
Maduro was then seen landing at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, where over a dozen federal officers in black uniforms took him into custody. CNN reports that he was first transported by helicopter to Manhattan and then transferred to Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where he remains imprisoned.
Soon after, the White House Rapid Response account released a video showing Maduro during what appeared to be a “perp walk” for the media. Dressed in a black hoodie and pants, he greeted people in English, saying “Good night” and “Happy New Year.”
Maduro and his wife face charges of drug trafficking, importing large quantities of cocaine into the U.S., and possession of illegal weapons.
