President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela was apprehended in a pre-dawn raid in Caracas on Saturday by an elite U.S. military team and transported to New York to face drug trafficking charges, according to multiple American and Venezuelan sources involved in transition discussions. This action followed President Trump's ultimatum in late December for Maduro to relinquish his office and accept exile in Turkey, which Maduro rejected.

The decision to proceed with military action was influenced, in part, by Maduro's public displays of nonchalance, including dancing on state television, which some members of the Trump administration interpreted as mockery. "Mr. Maduro's regular public dancing and other displays of nonchalance in recent weeks helped persuade some on the Trump team that the Venezuelan president was mocking them and trying to call what he believed to be a bluff," one source stated, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the confidential discussions.

The raid itself was triggered by what the United States described as a strike on a dock used for drug trafficking. The escalation marks a significant turning point in the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, which has been plagued by political instability and economic hardship for years.

The apprehension of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, represents a dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward Venezuela. The United States has long sought Maduro's removal from power, levying sanctions and supporting opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who declared himself interim president in 2019. However, these efforts had failed to dislodge Maduro, who maintained the backing of the military and key international allies.

The legal proceedings against Maduro in New York are expected to be complex and politically charged. The charges of drug trafficking carry significant penalties, and the trial could expose alleged links between the Maduro regime and criminal organizations. The implications of Maduro's removal from power for the future of Venezuela remain uncertain. While the U.S. government has not yet formally announced who it will support as Venezuela's new leader, sources suggest that Trump has settled on a Maduro loyalist.