US Strikes on Venezuela Kill at Least 40, Reports Say

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A senior Venezuelan official told the New York Times, as quoted by TRT World,  that civilians and soldiers were killed during the United States operation targeting the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro.

Quoting a senior Venezuelan official speaking on condition of anonymity, the report stated, "At least 40 people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in the attack."

US officials told the newspaper that the attack involved a large-scale aerial campaign aimed at crippling Venezuela's air defenses before ground troops were deployed.

"More than 150 US aircraft were dispatched to knock out air defences so military helicopters could deliver troops who assaulted Maduro’s position," the report said, citing US officials.

There has been no direct public confirmation from the White House or the Pentagon regarding the number of casualties or the full scope of the operation.

US forces captured and flew Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, out of Venezuela on Saturday morning in what President Donald Trump described as a dramatic overnight operation.

Trump said the United States would lead Venezuela to a "safe, proper, and judicious" transition.

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opened charges on Saturday morning, accusing Maduro and Flores of smuggling "tons of cocaine" into the United States, along with other alleged crimes.

Critics warned that the attack violated international law, ignored the US Congress, and risked further destabilization throughout Venezuela and the wider region.

Arrival in New York

Maduro was reportedly escorted off the plane at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York State, United States on Saturday US time or Sunday morning local time, January 4, 2026, as reported by Al Jazeera .

The captured Venezuelan leader was seen in blurry footage wearing a blue jacket with his face covered.

He was escorted down the plane's stairs by US officials and surrounded by dozens of law enforcement officers as he walked on the runway, as seen in the footage.

As reported by ABC News, Maduro was transferred by a US government plane from a US military base in Gitmo to New York.

Maduro is expected to be taken by helicopter to New York City, accompanied by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He will then proceed to a location in New York City in a convoy of vehicles to be processed before being held in jail.

Maduro was indicted in the Southern District of New York in 2020 on narco-terrorism charges.

Although the sources did not specifically mention where Maduro would be held, defendants awaiting trial in federal court in Manhattan are usually held at MDC-Brooklyn.

Maduro faces a potential sentence of up to four life imprisonments in the criminal charges filed in the United States, according to court documents as reported by Sputnik and quoted by Antara.

US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will soon stand trial in the Southern District Court of New York.

In March 2020, Maduro and several alleged co-conspirators were indicted in four cases.

The charges include conspiracy related to narcoterrorism, cocaine smuggling into the United States, and the use and possession of machine guns and explosives in narcoterrorism activities.

Additionally, Maduro is also charged with conspiring to possess and use these weapons and explosives.

Each indictment carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

However, the drug charges against Maduro angered many parties. This is because, on December 16, Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernndez, who had previously been convicted in a U.S. court on similar drug trafficking charges.

As reported by Axios, Trump's drug war has been sensational, but not always focused on the drug trafficking routes into the United States.

The US captured Maduro overnight after weeks of diplomatic and military pressure, sending a large fleet off the coast of Venezuela and repeatedly sinking ships suspected of carrying narcotics near its waters.

Venezuela is a transit point for cocaine heading to the US, although the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says most of it enters through Mexico. Most of the cocaine reaching the US is cultivated in Colombia, Venezuela's neighbor.

Venezuela is not a significant source of fentanyl, although Trump also claimed to be targeting fentanyl shipments. The fentanyl supply chain usually flows from China, through Mexico, to the US.

Even Maduro's indictment did not mention fentanyl, although Trump has openly discussed it.

The US war on drugs against Venezuela is suspected to be about ideology, not drugs. Maduro has been at odds with the US and Trump personally for a decade.

Read: UN Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on US Attack on Venezuela

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