Evidence from credible sources supports the statement as accurate. Learn more in Methodology.
Maduro is in U.S. custody on U.S. soil pending legal proceedings (i.e., captured and extradited to the United States).
Multiple independent, high‑quality sources report that U.S. forces carried out a military operation in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026, in which Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was seized and removed from Venezuela. Reuters and NPR describe him being transported by U.S. military assets to New York, where he arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base and was placed in federal custody, and Reuters confirms he later appeared in Manhattan federal court and pleaded not guilty to narcotics and related charges. Coverage from CBS News and USA TODAY likewise states that Maduro and his wife were captured by U.S. forces, brought to New York City, held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, and arraigned before a U.S. District Judge on narco‑terrorism, cocaine importation, and weapons charges. While some legal experts and outlets emphasize that this was a forcible capture rather than a formal, treaty‑based extradition, the core factual elements of the claim—that Maduro was captured, is now on U.S. soil, detained, and facing U.S. criminal charges—are well supported by the evidence. Verdict: True, because credible reporting and court records show Maduro was seized by U.S. forces, transported to and detained in the United States, and is currently facing federal criminal charges there, even though labeling the transfer as an “extradition” is more a rhetorical than a strictly legal description.