Ousted Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife arrived in New York Saturday to face narcoterrorism charges in the United States.

Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores landed at Stewart Air National Guard base in Windsor, New York, just after 4:45 p.m. Saturday afternoon, according to the New York Post. It was just 14 hours after the United States military arrested the pair at their compound in Caracas,Venezuela, overnight Friday.

Authorities brought the couple down the plane’s stairs as they were surrounded by dozens of law enforcement officers before they were taken into a building on the airbase, according to video of their arrival.

BREAKING: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived in New York after he and his wife were captured during a U.S. strike on Venezuela.

Live updates: https://t.co/5mIIO1Hgjo pic.twitter.com/g4RIqMBGYS

— ABC News (@ABC) January 3, 2026

Following Maduro’s capture, he was pictured in dramatic photos blindfolded and handcuffed, donning a Nike tracksuit while aboard the USS Iwo Jima.

Maduro and his wife face narco-terrorism conspiracy-related charges in the Southern District of New York, according to an unsealed federal indictment. The defunct Venezuelan dictator also faces charges for cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.

One of the most shocking allegations made in the indictment is that Maduro trafficked cocaine under the guise of “diplomatic” missions abroad and provided diplomatic passports to drug traffickers moving the proceeds of their enterprise.

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During a news conference Saturday morning, President Donald Trump revealed that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will work as a team with the people of Venezuela to “make sure” that the country is headed toward a peaceful transition. He said that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is unlikely to be the next president of the country because she lacks the “respect” in the South American country.

“There is nobody to take over,” Trump explained. “You have a vice-president appointed by Maduro, right now she’s the vice-president and she’s, I guess, the president, sworn in as president just a little while ago and she had a long conversation with Marco and said we’ll do whatever you need.”

“I think she was quite gracious, but she really doesn’t have a choice,” Trump added. “We’re going to have this done right. We’re not going to just do this with Maduro and leave like everybody else, leave and say let it go to hell. If we just left, it has zero chance of ever coming back.”

“We’ll run it properly, we’ll run it professionally. We’ll have the greatest oil companies in the world go in and invest billions and billions of dollars, and use that money in Venezuela and the biggest beneficiary are going to be the people of Venezuela,” he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made clear on Saturday that world leaders and bad actors should pay attention to President Donald Trump’s words, because when he says something, he means it.

“I hope people now understand,” Rubio posted to X. “The President of the United States is not a game player. When he tells you he’s going to do something and address a problem, he means it.”

After the administration successfully pulled off Operation Absolute Resolve and captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, Rubio said during a press conference that Trump isn’t just bluster — which should be abundantly clear.

“This is a president of action,” he said. “I don’t understand how they haven’t figured this out. And, now, if you don’t know, now you know.”

“This is the way it’s going to play out, and I think people need to understand this is not a president that just talks and does letters and press conferences — if he says he’s serious about something, he means it.”

WATCH:

I hope people now understand. The President of the United States is not a game player. When he tells you he’s going to do something and address a problem, he means it. pic.twitter.com/bVhtqcoPWP

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) January 3, 2026

The official White House X account had some fun with Rubio’s message, posting a spliced video mocking the now-captured Maduro. The footage shows Maduro calling a former political opponent a “coward,” before cutting to Rubio’s “now you know” line while showing an image of Maduro in cuffs.

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The Trump administration said Maduro was offered numerous “off ramps” but refused to surrender, prompting the operation for the dictator’s arrest.

If you don’t know, now you know 🦅 pic.twitter.com/XrIps1OzY4

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2026

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made a similar point, saying that Trump, with this recent capture, was fulfilling campaign promises — something the president has been doing since he was sworn into office.

“President Trump is a decisive and strong leader who does EXACTLY what he says he’s going to do,” she posted. “During his historic campaign in 2024, President Trump explicitly promised that he would work to ‘demolish foreign drug cartels’ to keep our citizens safe and that’s exactly what he did today through an unprecedented display of speed, precision, and power.”

Leavitt noted that former President Joe Biden “pathetically sat by and allowed our country to become a dumping ground for corrupt regimes in countries like Venezuela.”

The press secretary added that Trump’s latest moves are what “America First is all about.”

President Trump is a decisive and strong leader who does EXACTLY what he says he’s going to do.

During his historic campaign in 2024, President Trump explicitly promised that he would work to “demolish foreign drug cartels” to keep our citizens safe and that’s exactly what he… pic.twitter.com/2oz4rEwLfn

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 3, 2026

Related: General ‘Razin’ Caine Breaks Down Incredible Details Of Operation To Capture Maduro