On January 3rd local time, the official account of the U.S. White House released a video that appears to show Nicolás Maduro being escorted to an office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The footage depicts Maduro wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, walking down a corridor lined with a blue carpet marked with the letters "DEA NYD".

It is reported that Maduro arrived in Manhattan, New York, by helicopter that evening. A motorcade first traveled from the heliport to the DEA office in Manhattan, with the final destination being a detention center in Brooklyn.

In the early hours of the 3rd, the United States launched a large-scale military operation against Venezuela, raiding the capital city of Caracas and apprehending President Maduro along with his wife. On the same day, former President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. would "manage" Venezuela until a "safe" transition could be implemented. U.S. Attorney General Bundy announced via social media on the 3rd that Maduro and his wife have been charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.