The Maduro Capture on January 3, 2026, marked one of the most audacious U.S. military actions in recent decades. President Donald Trump announced that elite forces had seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from a fortified compound in Caracas, flying them to U.S. custody. Framed as a blow against narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, the Maduro Capture sparked global shockwaves, debates over sovereignty, and revelations about secret technologies. (Image: President Trump addressing the nation following the Maduro Capture announcement, January 2026.) Historical Roots of US-Venezuela Conflict Tensions trace back to Hugo Chávez’s 1999 rise, when Venezuela nationalized…