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The operation to kidnap Maduro didn't start on January 3rd. It didn't even start in 2025. It began five years ago with a phone call, a betrayal, and $50 million in cash.
Transcript
00:00January 3rd, 2026.
00:032.47 in the morning.
00:04A CH-47 Chinook tears through Venezuelan airspace at 180 miles per hour.
00:10Inside, Nicolas Maduro sits zip-tied, blindfolded, wearing nothing but silk pajamas.
00:15Twelve Delta Force operators surround him.
00:17His wife, Celia Flores, screams in Spanish beside him.
00:21In exactly 43 minutes, the most wanted narco-terrorist in the Western Hemisphere will land on American soil.
00:27In six hours, he'll be in a federal courtroom.
00:30But here's what nobody's asking.
00:31How did the United States pull off the impossible?
00:34How do you kidnap a sitting president from inside his own palace, protected by Russian S-400 missiles,
00:39Cuban intelligence, and 50,000 loyal troops?
00:42This operation didn't start on January 3rd. It didn't even start in 2025.
00:47This mission began five years ago with a phone call, a betrayal, and $50 million in cash.
00:52August 2020. CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia.
00:56A encrypted phone call comes in from Caracas.
00:59The caller? A high-ranking officer in Venezuela's Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence.
01:04Cardinal.
01:05He's been on Maduro's security detail for eight years.
01:08He knows every rotation, every safe house, every escape route.
01:11And he's tired of watching his country collapse while Maduro and his generals fly cocaine to Miami and stack euros
01:17in Swiss banks.
01:18Cardinal wants out.
01:19But he wants something first.
01:2050 million dollars.
01:22Immunity for his family.
01:23And a new life in America.
01:24The CIA agrees.
01:26Operation Cardinal becomes the most valuable intelligence asset in South America.
01:30For the next four years, Cardinal feeds the CIA everything.
01:33Maduro's daily schedule, his mistresses, his bunkers, the locations of his gold reserves, the names of every Chinese intelligence officer
01:40operating in Caracas.
01:41But here's the key piece of intelligence Cardinal provides in November 2024.
01:46Maduro has stage 2 colon cancer.
01:48He's getting treatments in Havana every six weeks.
01:51Cuban doctors.
01:52Russian medications.
01:53The trips are secret.
01:54Not even his cabinet knows.
01:55And every time Maduro leaves for Havana, there's a 36-hour window when palace security drops to 40% capacity.
02:02That intelligence sits on a desk at CIA headquarters for three months until Donald Trump returns to the White House.
02:08January 20th, 2025.
02:10Trump's second inauguration.
02:12That night, during a private dinner at the White House, Trump asks CIA director Bill Burns a simple question.
02:18Can we get Maduro?
02:19Burns pulls out a folder.
02:20Operation Cardinal.
02:21Five years of intelligence.
02:23Trump reads for 20 minutes.
02:24Then he looks up and says three words.
02:26Make it happen.
02:27But here's the problem.
02:28You can't just fly into Caracas and grab a head of state.
02:31Venezuela has Russian-made S-400 air defense systems.
02:35They have Cuban intelligence embedded in every government office.
02:39They have Chinese surveillance technology monitoring every phone call, every email, every text message in the country.
02:45One leak.
02:46One intercepted communication.
02:47And the mission is over before it starts.
02:49So the CIA builds a cover story.
02:52They call it Operation Distant Thunder.
02:54The official story?
02:55The United States is planning massive military exercises in the Caribbean.
02:59Naval drills.
03:00Air superiority training.
03:02Show of force to Cuba and Nicaragua.
03:04Completely routine.
03:05Nobody suspects it's a cover for the largest snatch and grab operation in modern history.
03:10March 2025.
03:12The USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship, deploys to the Caribbean.
03:17Official mission.
03:18Counter narcotics operations.
03:19Real mission.
03:20Floating staging base 70 miles north of Venezuela in international waters.
03:25On board members of JSOC Joint Special Operations Command.
03:29Delta Force.
03:30Seal Team 6.
03:31160 Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
03:34The Night Stalkers.
03:35The baddest helicopter pilots on planet Earth.
03:38And they start training for one mission.
03:40Penetrate Caracas airspace.
03:42Extract one target.
03:43Get out alive.
03:44But they need one more thing.
03:45They need Maduro to be in Caracas.
03:47Not Havana.
03:48Not hiding in a bunker.
03:49They need him exposed.
03:51And Trump has a plan for that.
03:52November 14th, 2025.
03:55Trump calls Maduro directly.
03:56No State Department.
03:58No diplomats.
03:58Just Trump.
03:59On a secure line.
04:01Speaking to Maduro in broken Spanish with a translator.
04:03Trump offers a deal.
04:05Step down peacefully.
04:06Go into exile in Cuba or Russia.
04:08Keep your money.
04:09Keep your freedom.
04:10Or stay in power and face consequences.
04:12Maduro laughs.
04:13He thinks Trump is bluffing.
04:14He tells Trump that Venezuela is a sovereign nation.
04:17That America has no authority.
04:19That he'll die before he surrenders.
04:21Trump's response is ice cold.
04:23We'll see about that.
04:24That phone call is recorded.
04:25Leaked to the press three days later.
04:27Maduro calls it American imperialism.
04:29He gives a speech in Caracas.
04:31Defiant.
04:32Angry.
04:32He vows to stay in power for life.
04:34And that's exactly what Trump wanted.
04:36Because now Maduro feels invincible.
04:38Now he gets careless.
04:39December 2025.
04:42CIA surveillance picks up increased activity.
04:44Maduro cancels his December trip to Havana.
04:47Why?
04:47Because he's meeting with Chinese diplomats.
04:49China is offering Venezuela a $10 billion infrastructure deal in exchange for oil rights.
04:55It's the biggest deal of Maduro's presidency.
04:57He can't miss it.
04:58The meeting is scheduled for January 2, 2026 at Miraflores Palace.
05:04After the meeting, Maduro plans to fly to Havana for treatment.
05:07But here's what Maduro doesn't know.
05:09Cardinal has already told the CIA everything.
05:12The exact time Maduro will be in the palace.
05:14The fact that his personal security will be light.
05:17Because most of his guards will be preparing for the Havana trip.
05:20And most importantly, Maduro will be sleeping in the palace that night.
05:24Not in a bunker.
05:24Not in a safe house.
05:26In his bedroom.
05:26Third floor.
05:27East wing.
05:28That's the window.
05:29That's the moment.
05:29And Trump gives the execute order.
05:31December 31st, 2025.
05:34New Year's Eve.
05:35While Americans count down to midnight, Trump signs the mission authorization at Mar-a-Lago.
05:40Operation Absolute Resolve.
05:42Capture Nicolas Maduro.
05:43Bring him to American soil.
05:45Charge him with narco-terrorism.
05:47Drug trafficking.
05:48Money laundering.
05:48Crimes against humanity.
05:50The mission parameters are clear.
05:51Capture, not kill.
05:53Minimal Venezuelan casualties.
05:55Zero American losses.
05:56Extraction within four hours.
05:58Failure is not an option.
06:00If the mission goes wrong, if operators are captured, Trump will authorize a full-scale invasion to get them out.
06:0618,000 marines are standing by in Florida.
06:09B-2 bombers are armed and ready.
06:11This is not a bluff.
06:12January 1st, 2026.
06:14Delta Force receives final briefing.
06:16The team leader is an operator codenamed Hatchet.
06:1922 years in special operations.
06:21If anyone can pull this off, it's Hatchet.
06:24His team consists of 40 operators.
06:2612 will breach the palace.
06:278 will provide overwatch.
06:2920 will secure the perimeter and extraction point.
06:32Every operator has studied three-dimensional models of Miraflores Palace for six months.
06:37They know every hallway, every staircase, every exit.
06:40They've rehearsed the breach 157 times at a replica facility in North Carolina.
06:45They know the mission down to the second.
06:47But no plan survives first contact.
06:49And nobody knows what will happen when boots hit the ground in Caracas.
06:53January 2nd, 2026.
06:5611 a.m. Caracas time.
06:57Maduro meets with Chinese envoy Li Zhang for three hours.
07:02They discuss oil contracts, infrastructure investments, military cooperation.
07:06By 2 p.m., the meeting ends.
07:08Maduro is in a good mood.
07:09He's just secured $10 billion for Venezuela.
07:12That night, he celebrates with a private dinner.
07:15Celia Flores is with him.
07:16His closest advisors.
07:18By 11 p.m., the advisors leave.
07:20By midnight, the palace is quiet.
07:22Maduro goes to bed.
07:23He has no idea that 70 miles north, on the USS Iwo Jima, 40 Delta Force operators are gearing up.
07:30Night vision goggles.
07:31Suppressed HK416 rifles.
07:34Breaching charges.
07:35Flex cuffs.
07:35Tactical medical kits.
07:37Every piece of equipment checked three times.
07:39At the same time, six F-22 Raptor stealth fighters launch from Homestead Air Force Base in Florida.
07:45They arrive over Venezuelan airspace by 10 p.m., flying at 40,000 feet, invisible to radar.
07:51Their mission is simple.
07:52The moment the operation starts, take out Venezuela's air defense network, S-400 batteries, radar installations, command centers.
08:00Without air defenses, Venezuela is blind.
08:02Meanwhile, a CIA Reaper drone circles Caracas at 25,000 feet.
08:07Thermal imaging cameras watch the palace.
08:09Every heat signature mapped.
08:11Guard rotations confirmed.
08:12Maduro's location verified.
08:14Third floor.
08:15East wing.
08:15Bedroom.
08:16He's asleep.
08:17The window is open.
08:18January 3, 2026.
08:2012.30 a.m.
08:21USS Iwo Jima's flight deck roars to life.
08:24Six MH-47 Chinooks spin up their rotors.
08:28Eight MH-60 Blackhawks prepare for launch.
08:31Four AH-6 Little Bird gunships load rockets.
08:34Forty Delta Force operators board the helicopters.
08:37No talking.
08:38Only hand signals.
08:39Hatchet looks at his team.
08:40These are the best soldiers America has ever produced.
08:43He gives one final order.
08:45Bring everyone home.
08:461 a.m.
08:47Launch.
08:47The armada lifts off, flying south toward Venezuela.
08:50Low altitude.
08:51150 feet above the black water of the Caribbean.
08:55No lights.
08:55No radio chatter.
08:56Total silence.
08:57F-22s orbit overhead.
08:59Three Navy destroyers stand by in case Venezuela's Navy tries to intervene.
09:031.45 a.m.
09:05The helicopters cross into Venezuelan waters.
09:08Still no detection.
09:09Venezuelan radar operators are watching their screens, but they see nothing.
09:13The helicopters are flying too low.
09:14By the time Venezuelan air defense picks up the signal, it will be too late.
09:181.58 a.m.
09:19Two minutes to strike.
09:20F-22s receive the execute order.
09:23They fire.
09:23AGM-88 HARM missiles streak toward Venezuelan radar installations.
09:29Twelve radar sites across Caracas go dark in nine seconds.
09:33Venezuela's air defense network is blind.
09:35Nobody in Caracas knows what's coming.
09:372 a.m.
09:38Caracas erupts.
09:39Explosions rock Fuerte Tiuna military base.
09:42Explosions at Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda air base.
09:46Explosions at La Guayra port.
09:47But these aren't invasion strikes.
09:49They're diversions.
09:50Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from Navy destroyers offshore, hitting ammunition depots and fuel storage facilities.
09:56No casualties.
09:57Just noise, fire, chaos.
09:59Venezuelan military scrambles.
10:01Troops rush toward the bases.
10:02Air raid sirens wail across the city.
10:05Civilians think it's an invasion.
10:06They flee to shelters, to basements, to subway tunnels.
10:09Maduro's palace guard rushes toward the explosions.
10:12And that's exactly what the Americans want.
10:14Because while every Venezuelan soldier is looking at the fires, nobody is watching the palace.
10:192.03 a.m.
10:20Six Chinooks scream across Caracas airspace at 180 miles per hour, flying 120 feet above the buildings.
10:28Civilians look up, terrified.
10:30Black helicopters.
10:31American helicopters.
10:32The rotor wash shakes windows.
10:34Car alarms go off across the city.
10:36Venezuelan air force tries to scramble jets from Valencia airbase, but it's too late.
10:40F-22s are already overhead.
10:42Venezuelan pilots receive a radio warning in Spanish.
10:45Return to base, or you will be destroyed.
10:47They turn back.
10:482.07 a.m.
10:50Lead Chinook reaches Miraflores Palace.
10:52The palace is a massive colonial-era building in the center of Caracas.
10:56Surrounded by walls.
10:57Guard towers.
10:58Normally, 200 soldiers protect it.
11:00Tonight, because of the diversionary explosions, only 40 guards remain.
11:04They're confused.
11:05Disorganized.
11:06Looking toward the fires on the horizon.
11:08Nobody's watching the sky.
11:092.08 a.m.
11:11Fast ropes drop from the Chinook.
11:12Twelve Delta operators slide down onto the palace roof in eight seconds.
11:16Two palace guards hear the rotor noise.
11:18They turn.
11:19Look up.
11:19See the helicopter.
11:20Too late.
11:21Suppressed gunfire.
11:22Two shots each.
11:23The guards drop.
11:24The operators move like shadows, breaching the rooftop access door in four seconds.
11:29Stairwell.
11:29Night vision turns the darkness into green light.
11:32They descend.
11:32Third floor.
11:33East wing.
11:34Maduro's bedroom.
11:35Intel says he's alone with his wife.
11:37Two guards outside the door.
11:38Two 10 a.m. operators reach the third floor hallway.
11:41Two guards, standing outside Maduro's bedroom, see shapes moving in the darkness.
11:46They raise their rifles.
11:47Suppressed shots drop them before they can fire.
11:50The operators move fast.
11:51They've trained for this exact moment 157 times.
11:55Muscle memory.
11:56No hesitation.
11:572.12 a.m.
11:58They reach Maduro's bedroom door.
12:00Solid mahogany.
12:01Reinforced steel frame.
12:02An operator places a shaped breaching charge on the hinges.
12:05Three second countdown.
12:06The explosion is muffled, but powerful.
12:09The door blows inward.
12:10Smoke fills the room.
12:11Inside, Nicolas Maduro sits up in bed.
12:14Confused.
12:15Disoriented.
12:15Celia Flores screams.
12:17Two operators rush in.
12:18One yanks Maduro out of bed.
12:20Slams him face first onto the floor.
12:22Flex cuffs around his wrists.
12:24Tight.
12:24Maduro's face goes pale.
12:26He realizes what's happening.
12:27You can't do this.
12:28I am the president of Venezuela.
12:30The operator doesn't respond.
12:31He just lifts Maduro like a suitcase and moves toward the door.
12:342.14 a.m.
12:35Operators move Maduro and Celia Flores toward the stairwell.
12:39They reach the roof.
12:40A Chinook hovers overhead.
12:41Rotors screaming.
12:42Fast ropes drop.
12:44Operators clip Maduro into a harness.
12:46He's lifted into the sky.
12:47Kicking.
12:48Screaming.
12:48Celia Flores is next.
12:50She's silent now.
12:51In shock.
12:51By 2.16 a.m.
12:53All operators are aboard.
12:54Extraction complete.
12:55The Chinook banks hard.
12:57Flying north at maximum speed.
12:59Venezuelan forces finally realize what happened.
13:01Fighter jets scramble from Valencia Air Base.
13:04But F-22s intercept them.
13:06Venezuelan pilots receive another warning.
13:08This time, an F-22 locks onto a Venezuelan Su-30.
13:12The Venezuelan pilot sees the missile warning light on his console.
13:15He turns back.
13:16No shots fired.
13:172.34 a.m.
13:18The helicopters cross into international waters.
13:21Venezuelan missiles can't reach them.
13:22They're safe.
13:23Inside the Chinook, Maduro sits on the floor.
13:25Zip tied.
13:26Blindfolded.
13:27He's muttering in Spanish.
13:28Prayers.
13:29Curses.
13:29Threats.
13:30The operators ignore him.
13:31Mission accomplished.
13:323.18 a.m.
13:33The Chinooks land on the USS Iwo Jima.
13:36Maduro is pulled out.
13:37Still in his silk pajamas.
13:39Still zip tied.
13:40DEA agents are waiting.
13:41FBI agents photograph him.
13:43Document everything.
13:44A Navy medic checks his vitals.
13:46Blood pressure elevated.
13:47Heart rate 120.
13:48But he's healthy.
13:49He'll stand trial.
13:503.45 a.m.
13:51Maduro is placed in a holding cell on the ship.
13:53Steel walls.
13:54Fluorescent lights.
13:55He sits on a bench.
13:56Head in his hands.
13:5730 minutes ago, he was the president of Venezuela.
14:00Now he's a prisoner.
14:01Celia Flores is in a separate cell.
14:03Crying.
14:04She keeps asking to see her husband.
14:06They don't let her.
14:064.30 a.m.
14:07Venezuelan defense minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez appears on state television.
14:12His voice shaking.
14:13He calls it an invasion.
14:14An act of war.
14:15He declares a national emergency.
14:17Mobilizes the military.
14:18Demands Maduro's immediate return.
14:20But nobody's listening.
14:21Russia issues a statement condemning the operation.
14:24China protests.
14:25The United Nations calls for an emergency meeting.
14:27But Maduro is gone.
14:29And he's not coming back.
14:305.47 a.m.
14:31A C-17 Globemaster transport plane takes off from the USS Iwo Jima.
14:36Destination.
14:37Homestead Air Force Base.
14:38Florida.
14:39Maduro is aboard.
14:40Now wearing an orange jumpsuit.
14:42Hands cuffed.
14:43Feet shackled.
14:43He stares out the window as the sun rises over the Caribbean.
14:46He's silent now.
14:47No more threats.
14:48No more curses.
14:49Just silence.
14:508.15 a.m.
14:51The C-17 lands in Florida.
14:53Maduro is transferred to a federal detention facility in Miami.
14:57Fingerprinted.
14:57Photographed.
14:58Processed like any other criminal.
14:59By 9 a.m.
15:00He's sitting in a cell.
15:01Concrete walls.
15:02Steel bed.
15:03Toilet in the corner.
15:04The man who controlled billions of dollars in drug money.
15:07The man who starved his own people while he ate lobster in the presidential palace.
15:11Now he's prisoner number 26,437.
15:1511 a.m.
15:16Trump holds a press conference at Mar-a-Lago.
15:18He's wearing a dark suit.
15:19Red tie.
15:20He looks directly into the camera.
15:21Last night, American forces conducted a precision operation to apprehend Nicolas Maduro.
15:27A man responsible for flooding American streets with cocaine.
15:31For torturing his own people.
15:33For stealing billions of dollars while Venezuelans starved.
15:36He thought he was untouchable.
15:38He was wrong.
15:39This operation was flawless.
15:41Zero American casualties.
15:43Maduro is now in federal custody and will face trial.
15:46Let this be a message to every dictator, every terrorist, every criminal who thinks they
15:51can hide from American justice.
15:53You can't.
15:54We will find you.
15:54We will get you.
15:55And you will answer for your crimes.
15:57The room erupts with questions.
15:59Reporters shouting.
16:00Trump smiles.
16:01Walks off the stage.
16:02Mission accomplished.
16:042 p.m.
16:04Maduro appears in federal court in Miami.
16:07He's wearing the orange jumpsuit.
16:09Hands cuffed in front of him.
16:10His lawyer, a public defender, stands beside him.
16:13The judge reads the charges.
16:15Narco-terrorism.
16:16Conspiracy to import 5,000 kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
16:21Money laundering.
16:22Crimes against humanity.
16:24Maduro pleads not guilty.
16:26The judge denies bail.
16:27The defendant is a flight risk and a danger to the community.
16:31Maduro is remanded to federal custody.
16:33Trial date set for June, 2026.
16:37As Maduro is led out of the courtroom, reporters shout questions.
16:40Do you have anything to say?
16:42Maduro stops.
16:43Looks at the cameras.
16:44And for the first time since his capture, he speaks.
16:47This is illegal.
16:47I am the president of Venezuela.
16:50The United States has no jurisdiction.
16:52This is kidnapping.
16:53This is an act of war.
16:55The guards pull him away.
16:57The courtroom doors close.
16:58By the end of January 3rd, Venezuela is in chaos.
17:02The military doesn't know who's in charge.
17:04Padrino Lopez tries to assume control, but rival generals challenge him.
17:08Protests erupt in Caracas.
17:10Some Venezuelans celebrate Maduro's capture.
17:13Others riot, calling it American imperialism.
17:16The country teeters on the edge of civil war.
17:19Russia and China condemn the operation, but take no action.
17:23They issue statements.
17:24They complain to the United Nations.
17:25But they don't intervene, because they know the truth.
17:28If they try to rescue Maduro, if they send troops or ships or planes,
17:33America will respond with overwhelming force.
17:36And nobody wants that war.
17:42We've been fighting a long time, and we have all lost so very much.
17:46So many loved ones gone.
17:48But you are not alone.
17:50There are pockets of resistance all around the planet.
17:53We are at the brink.
17:56If you're listening to this, you are the resistance.
18:00Look, I can't believe in there.
18:02Look, there's a tremendous weight.
18:02And the bullpen will be killed.
18:03You are the also revenue that is a bit too late.
18:03I guess I am a bit too late.
18:03I am the only one who is working on this for the revolution.
18:04I am the only one who's working on this project.
18:04I am a bit too late.
18:05I am the only one who is working on this project.
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