Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been captured by the US military and may await trial in a federal prison in New York, where a slew of high-profile criminals have previously been held.

Trump announced the military mission in the early hours on Saturday morning, confirming that a ‘large scale strike’ was carried out in Venezuela. ‘The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country,’ he said.

‘This operation was done in conjunction with US Law Enforcement.’

Attorney General Pam Bondi later confirmed that Maduro is facing criminal drug trafficking charges from a 2020 indictment in New York.

Sources told ABC News that Maduro was being flown to New York, and although it’s unclear where he will be held, defendants awaiting trial in federal court are typically held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Luigi Mangione, who is awaiting a murder trial in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is currently in custody at MDC.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs also spent time at MDC. He was transferred to a federal prison in New Jersey in October.

Ghislaine Maxwell was held in the detention center for her arrest on sex-trafficking charges in 2020, while R. Kelly was transferred to MDC in 2021 before he faced trial on sex-trafficking and racketeering charges.

Maduro’s whereabouts remain unknown and in an address, the country’s vice president Delcy Rodríguez demanded an ‘immediate proof of life’.  

Trump said that more details would be released in a press conference at Mar-a-Lago later this afternoon.

Daily Mail report