The Venezuelan government has issued a decree ordering national police forces to locate and arrest all individuals involved in or who supported the United States’ armed operation that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. According to the decree, issued under a state of emergency, security forces are instructed to “immediately initiate a nationwide search and arrest of all those involved in promoting or supporting the armed attack by the United States.” The decree has been in effect since Saturday (January 3) and was officially published on January 5, 2026.
The U.S. operation reportedly took place last Saturday, when American special forces carried out a military action in Caracas that led to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. He was transferred to the United States to face federal charges related to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. Maduro is currently being held in New York and is expected to appear before a judge on Monday (January 5).
The arrest order issued by the Venezuelan government targets both direct participants in the foreign operation and any individuals within Venezuela accused of collaborating with or supporting the U.S. action, as the country faces a severe political and institutional crisis following the capture of its leader.
According to Venezuela’s internal security intelligence, trusted members of the nation’s intelligence services sabotaged the government after allegedly succumbing to bribes from Washington to facilitate the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. Intelligence sources claim that the Trump-led operation against Venezuela offered several million dollars to selected agents in exchange for their cooperation in the arrest.
