DEA agents operate outside a helipad, before Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrive in custody from a helicopter before their scheduled court appearance at Manhattan federal court, at the Westside Heliport in New York City, U.S. on January 3, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro landed in the United States on Saturday (January 3, 2026), multiple news outlets reported, arriving in upstate New York following his capture in an overnight U.S. operation.
Video showed a plane arriving at Stewart International Airport about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of New York City, with several U.S. personnel in FBI and other gear boarding the aircraft after it landed. TV news networks, including CNN, Fox News and MS Now, identified a person who disembarked from the plane as Mr. Maduro.
Mr. Maduro was seen surrounded by FBI agents as he descended the boarding stairs of a U.S. government plane at a New York state National Guard facility, and was slowly escorted along the tarmac.
The leftist leader was expected to be flown by helicopter to New York City, where he faces drug trafficking charges.
With Reuters, AFP inputs
Published – January 04, 2026 04:29 am IST
