The operation that changed Latin America. Credit: White House
A US spy gathered information on “how he moved, where he lived, where he travelled, what he ate and wore, and even his pets”.
The operation that changed Latin America
The largest US military operation in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 36 years ago involved 150 different types of aircraft, the Delta Force — an elite unit tasked with special operations — and multiple intelligence agencies. Yet the mission could not have succeeded without crucial intelligence provided by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which had operatives embedded in Venezuela since last summer.
Information from the agency proved decisive in locating Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the room where they were sleeping in a military facility near Caracas. The operation had the feel of a high-stakes spy thriller. A Delta Force team apprehended the couple before they could reach a specially reinforced safe room designed to protect them from intrusions. After their capture, Maduro was flown to New York to face charges of narco-terrorism, according to documents released by US Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Inside the CIA’s covert network
A small CIA team travelled covertly to Caracas in August, establishing contacts until they secured an informant inside Maduro’s government, according to reports by The New York Times and CNN. Field agents managed to recruit a high-value asset who provided intelligence that tracked Maduro’s movements and pinpointed his location ahead of the operation.
Weeks before the team was deployed, Bondi announced that the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest would rise to $50 million (€42.6 million). The attorney general had accused him of collaborating with criminal organisations such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel to traffic drugs into the United States. “He is one of the world’s biggest drug traffickers and a threat to our national security,” she stated.
The power of the $50 million reward
Ultimately, the $50 million reward proved decisive. Former officials told The New York Times that the CIA received support in exchange for the reward offered by Washington for intelligence leading to Maduro’s capture.
CIA agents in Venezuela worked quickly to map out patterns, frequent locations, and precise movements of the Venezuelan leader. Thanks to the infiltrated source, they gathered invaluable details on Maduro’s lifestyle and entourage, including his Cuban bodyguard unit.
Tracking Maduro’s every move
The CIA’s intelligence was crucial in predicting where Maduro would sleep on Saturday. It played a key role in “locating” and targeting him during Operation Absolute Resolution, President Donald Trump revealed during a press briefing on the military intervention.
The intelligence team gathered information on “how he moved, where he lived, where he travelled, what he ate, what he wore, and even his pets,” according to General Dan Caine, head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Covert action becomes public
The presence of CIA operatives in Venezuela was not unexpected. Late last summer, Trump authorised covert operations on Venezuelan soil as part of a broader pressure campaign under the guise of fighting narcotics trafficking. The White House had previously labelled Venezuela a narco-state and Maduro the leader of the “Cartel of the Suns,” an alleged cocaine trafficking network.
Since September, the US military has targeted boats suspected of carrying drugs, sinking around 30 vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific near Venezuela and Colombia. These operations, carried out without judicial approval or Congressional consent, have resulted in approximately 110 deaths.
The first strike and the coastal facility
CIA involvement became evident when Trump confirmed a drone strike on a Venezuelan cargo dock — the first on-the-ground action in the campaign that culminated in Maduro’s removal. By late December, it emerged that the strike had been coordinated by the CIA.
Covert agents reported that the coastal facility stored cocaine shipments for the Tren de Aragua cartel, designated by US authorities as a narco-terrorist group, and also served as a loading point for vessels transporting the drugs abroad.
A more aggressive CIA under Ratcliffe
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during his confirmation speech months earlier, pledged to lead a more aggressive agency, willing to conduct covert operations to gather intelligence and advance US policy, according to The New York Times.
The capture of Nicolás Maduro marks a turning point in US operations in Latin America, demonstrating the decisive role of intelligence and covert action. The CIA’s network of spies inside Venezuela proved invaluable, providing critical details on the president’s movements, lifestyle, and security.
Beyond the immediate military success, the operation sends a clear message about the reach and capabilities of US intelligence, reinforcing the administration’s stance against narcotics trafficking and corruption. It also highlights the growing influence of clandestine operations in shaping international politics and security.
