Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s narco case echoes US history of targeting alleged foreign drug kingpins

In a stunning subject cognition conducted successful the aboriginal greeting hours connected Saturday, the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, on with his woman Cilia Flores, to look national charges stemming from their alleged engagement successful the cause commercialized and maintaining a dictatorship wrong the country. 

For months, President Donald Trump had urged Maduro to measurement down from his relation arsenic the country’s person – successful what has been wide viewed arsenic an illegitimate presumption – portion accusing him of supporting cause cartels that person been designated arsenic panic organizations by the U.S. 

According to U.S. officials, the Department of Justice requested subject assistance successful apprehending Maduro aft helium – and aboriginal his wife, son, 2 governmental figures and an alleged planetary pack person – had been indicted connected national terrorism, drugs and weapons charges successful 2020. 

While questions person swirled regarding the legality of the Trump administration's actions, the U.S. has antecedently launched akin operations targeting overseas dictators and suspected cause kingpins.

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President Donald Trump shared a photograph of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima aft strikes connected Venezuela, connected Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Truth Social/ @realDonaldTrump)

Here is simply a look astatine different instances successful which U.S. officials took purpose astatine immoderate of the world’s astir notorious leaders accused of being straight progressive successful immoderate of the astir prolific cause operations crossed the globe. 

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro addresses supporters during a rally marking the day of the 19th-century Battle of Santa Ines successful Caracas, Venezuela, connected Dec. 10, 2025.  (Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The condemnation of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega

In 1990, 36 years to the time of Maduro’s capture, the U.S. arrested Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, nether akin circumstances.

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Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega astatine a ceremonial commemorating the decease of nationalist leader Omar Torrijo successful Panama City.  (Bill Gentile/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Noriega initially roseate to powerfulness successful 1983, and was agelong viewed arsenic an informant for the U.S. to supply accusation regarding cause trafficking successful the region. Working arsenic a paid CIA collaborator since the 1970s, Noriega allowed the U.S. to acceptable up listening posts successful Panama, portion besides allowing pro-American assistance to funnel done Panama to El Salvador and Nicaragua.

However, nether the chemoreceptor of U.S. officials, Noriega formed "the hemisphere's archetypal narcokleptocracy," a Senate subcommittee study said, calling him "the champion illustration successful caller U.S. overseas argumentation of however a overseas person is capable to manipulate the United States to the detriment of our ain interests," according to Reuters. 

He reportedly worked alongside notorious cause cartel person Pablo Escobar to funnel cocaine into the U.S., portion besides facilitating the question of millions of dollars successful cause currency done Panama’s banks, which led to him receiving ample amounts of kickbacks.

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Former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, pictured successful this Jan. 4, 1990 record photo. (REUTERS/HO JDP)

One twelvemonth earlier his arrest, a national expansive assemblage handed down a 12-count indictment against Noriega, efficaciously clearing the way for President George H. W. Bush to deploy thousands of U.S. troops to Panama successful an cognition titled, "Just Cause." Noriega faced national cause trafficking and wealth laundering charges. 

As U.S. troops moved successful connected the country’s superior and subject headquarters, Noriega sought refuge astatine the Vatican’s embassy while, according to a fashionable rumor, dressed arsenic a woman. 

Noriega was yet forced to surrender connected Jan. 3, 1990, and was aboriginal sentenced to 40 years successful a Florida prison. After 17 years down bars, helium was extradited to France and aboriginal Panama, wherever helium died successful 2017.

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Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández’s arrest 

In 2022, 3 months aft leaving office, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was arrested astatine the petition of U.S. officials astatine his location successful Tegucigalpa connected charges of moving alongside cause traffickers to transport implicit 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S., according to The Associated Press.

Following his arrest, Hernández was extradited to the U.S. to basal proceedings for his alleged crimes.

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Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks during the opening ceremonial of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 successful Glasgow, Scotland, connected Monday, Nov. 1, 2021.   (Andy Buchanan/AP)

U.S. officials alleged the disgraced person had collaborated with cause cartels since 2004, accepting millions of dollars successful bribes arsenic his governmental vocation escalated from agrarian congressman to president of the National Congress to Honduras’ highest office.

During his proceedings successful Manhattan national court, Hernández testified that portion cause wealth was paid to virtually each governmental parties successful Honduras, helium did not judge bribes portion successful office. He maintained that helium was a unfortunate of vengeful cause traffickers seeking retribution aft helium aided successful their extradition to the U.S., portion besides moving alongside 3 statesmanlike administrations to bounds cause imports into the country. 

Hernández was subsequently convicted by a assemblage successful March 2024, with a national justice sentencing him to 45 years successful a U.S. situation and issuing an $8 cardinal fine.

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Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, 2nd from right, is taken successful handcuffs to a waiting craft arsenic helium is extradited to the United States, astatine an Air Force basal successful Tegucigalpa, Honduras, connected April 21, 2022.  (Elmer Martinez/AP)

However, aft serving conscionable 17 months of his sentence, Hernández was pardoned by Trump successful precocious 2025. 

"The radical of Honduras truly thought helium was acceptable up, and it was a unspeakable thing," Trump said. "They fundamentally said helium was a cause trader due to the fact that helium was the president of the country. And they said it was a Biden medication setup – and I looked astatine the facts and I agreed with them."

After Trump announced Hernández’s pardon, Honduran Attorney General Johel Zelaya said successful a station to societal media that his bureau was looking into bringing charges against the erstwhile president, but did not specify what crimes officials were investigating.

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Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman’s proceedings and blameworthy verdict 

In 2017, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the notorious person of Mexico’s "Sinaloa Cartel," was extradited to the U.S. to basal proceedings connected cause trafficking and related crimes successful respective territory courts passim the country. 

The notorious transgression brag evaded seizure connected respective occasions and escaped from Mexican situation twice, with national prosecutors revealing Guzman utilized a assortment of crafty tactics to smuggle tons of cocaine into the U.S. during the 1990s and aboriginal 2000s.

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Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman erstwhile helium was extradited from Mexico to the U.S.  (AP)

Former cartel subordinate Miguel Angel Martinez testified successful national tribunal that the pack utilized trucks to transportation 3,000 cans filled with cocaine implicit the U.S.-Mexico border, portion estimating the vehicles carried 25 to 30 tons of cocaine worthy $400 cardinal to $500 cardinal into the state each year, according to The Associated Press. 

After the profits would get successful Tijuana, Guzman would nonstop his 3 backstage jets connected a monthly ground to prime up the currency – with each level carrying astir $10 cardinal backmost home. 

Following his landmark national proceedings successful Brooklyn, Guzman was sentenced to beingness successful situation – tacking connected different situation condemnation aft an earlier blameworthy verdict connected drug-trafficking charges resulted successful a mandatory condemnation of beingness without parole. A justice besides ordered Guzman to wage $12.6 cardinal successful ill-gotten proceeds stemming from his empire built connected cause trafficking and murder.

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Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted by soldiers during a presumption successful Mexico City, Jan. 8, 2016. (REUTERS/Tomas Bravo/File Photo)

A defiant Guzman utilized his last moments successful the nationalist spotlight to blast the justice for not granting him a caller proceedings pursuing unsubstantiated allegations of juror misconduct. 

"My lawsuit was stained and you denied maine a just proceedings erstwhile the full satellite was watching," Guzman said done an interpreter.

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Guzman is acceptable to unrecorded retired his days down bars successful the national government’s Supermax prison, located successful Florence, Colorado, wherever detainees are kept successful solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day. 

"Since the authorities volition nonstop maine to a jailhouse wherever my sanction volition not ever beryllium heard again, I instrumentality this accidental to accidental determination was nary justness here," Guzman said astatine his sentencing. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.