U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz defended the January 3, 2026, U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, describing him as a “state-backer of narcoterrorism.” In a public statement, Waltz said, “These operatives are some of the most vicious in the world... Enough was enough. Enough with our homeland security being threatened.”

The operation targeted Maduro’s residence and Venezuelan military sites with precision airstrikes, culminating in the extraction of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to a secure facility in New York. The couple now faces unsealed federal indictments charging them with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, and weapons possession. Prosecutors allege that these activities were carried out in coordination with international terrorist and criminal groups, including Colombia’s FARC.

Waltz framed the capture as a decisive move to neutralize threats posed to American citizens and infrastructure by organized narcotics networks directly linked to Maduro. By removing a key state sponsor of drug trafficking, U.S. officials assert the operation safeguards the homeland while signaling a firm stance against regimes that harbor and empower criminal enterprises.

The ambassador emphasized that the mission was carefully coordinated to avoid civilian casualties while ensuring swift, decisive results. Waltz’s remarks highlight the Trump administration’s prioritization of hemispheric security, counter-narcotics enforcement, and the rule of law in confronting state-supported criminal networks.