January 5, 2026
Yesterday morning, Americans awoke to the news that the United States Military successfully executed an operation to capture and bring to justice Venezuelan leader and narco-terrorist Nicolás Maduro. President Trump’s decisive action has far-reaching implications for our hemisphere, marking an important step toward dismantling the narco-terror networks that have fueled violence, corruption, and the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
Maduro is not merely an authoritarian figure—he is a murderous criminal who has overseen the repression, imprisonment, and killing of his own people. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice formally indicted him on charges of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and corruption. The charges against him detail how he deliberately flooded our nation with cocaine to weaken and harm our nation. He operated with international drug trafficking networks and corruptly protected and facilitated large-scale cocaine shipments into the United States. Maduro and his regime offered protection and logistical support to violent criminal organizations, enriching themselves and aligning with cartels such as the heinous Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang, and these actions enabled massive drug flows that harmed communities in the U.S. and beyond.
Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and the incredible actions of our finest American heroes, those charges are now met with real accountability and Maduro will face our justice system for his crimes against our nation. President Trump made clear that the United States will confront criminal regimes that threaten our security and destabilize our region. This is what peace through strength looks like—clear resolve backed by action.
The message to dictators, terrorists, and transnational criminal organizations is unmistakable: there is no safe harbor for those who seek to harm the United States or the American people. Nicolás Maduro was never a legitimate leader—he was the head of a criminal cartel who stole the election and when news broke of his capture, Venezuelans flooded the streets to celebrate.
History shows that when narco-states threaten regional stability and American security, the United States has acted before. President George H. W. Bush’s decision to remove Manuel Noriega established that criminal regimes will not be tolerated. Today’s action follows that same principle—accountability, the rule of law, and the defense of peace through strength.
None of this would have been possible without the extraordinary skill, bravery and dedication of our best-in-the-world Armed Forces and intelligence agencies. This was an unimaginably complex and high-risk mission, involving months of detailed intelligence gathering, rehearsals, and coordination across more than 150 aircraft and multiple U.S. military and intelligence units to execute a precise overnight extraction deep inside Caracas. It was—without a doubt—one of the most challenging and meticulously planned operations in memory, requiring unparalleled precision and integration to ensure success under the most difficult conditions.
With Maduro now facing justice, America has accomplished a monumental victory in our war on drugs, and the Venezuelan people have a real opportunity to move toward a more stable, democratic future. Our nation and hemisphere are safer with one of the world’s most notorious criminals behind bars.
May God bless the United States and the incredible heroes who protect her.
Sincerely,
Rep. Nicholas A. Langworthy
Member of Congress
