New York, Jan 4 (NationPress) Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has been incarcerated in a notorious federal prison after being apprehended by US forces at a military base in Venezuela, where he had previously been mocking President Donald Trump.

As he was led into the local office of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on Saturday night before his incarceration, he sarcastically addressed the camera, saying, “Good night. Happy New Year.”

Once the undisputed ruler of the oil-rich South American nation, in a video released by the White House, he appeared in a brown jumpsuit, shackled and holding a water bottle, flanked by two DEA officers.

Maduro and his spouse Cilia Flores were taken during an early Saturday morning operation, landing at the Stewart Air National Guard Base, approximately 100 kilometers from the city. They were subsequently transported to a heliport in downtown Manhattan, close to federal buildings and courts.

Due to the serious narco-terrorism allegations against them, their first stop was the DEA office.

They were then moved to the Metropolitan Detention Centre (MDC) in Brooklyn to await an appearance in the New York federal court, anticipated for Monday.

A substantial crowd gathered outside the prison, hurling insults and jeering at him.

Maduro, who had a $50 million bounty on his head, was extracted from the Venezuelan military base, Fuerte Tiuna, to the Iwo Jima, one of the Navy vessels in the armada surrounding Venezuela, before being flown to a US air base.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced charges against him, accusing him of narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of weapons.

An indictment issued in 2020 accused them of leading the drug organization, Cartel de los Soles.

Trump hinted at the possibility of transferring the trial to Miami, which has the largest population of Venezuelan exiles in the US, with news of his capture eliciting celebrations.

“A decision will be made, I assume, between New York and Miami or [elsewhere] in Florida,” Trump remarked.

The MDC, notorious for its poor conditions, has previously housed terrorists like Omar Abdel Rahman and Ramzi Yousef, arms dealer Viktor Bout, drug lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman, and financial fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.

Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, whose acquaintances included powerful political figures and celebrities, was found dead in the facility, with officials labeling it a suicide.

Maduro’s fellow inmates include Luigi Mangione, who is on trial for the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and has gained a reputation as a folk hero.

The overcrowded prison has such dire conditions that in 2024, a federal judge noted that the environment at MDC presented “exceptional reasons” for not remanding a man there.

Trump has framed Maduro’s capture as part of an anti-drug initiative, attempting to portray it as a standard law enforcement operation to bypass international laws concerning national sovereignty.

Currently, he has allowed Maduro’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as his successor, to remain in power.

“She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” Trump stated.

Rodriguez fiercely countered, accusing the US of aggression and claiming, “This regime change would also allow for the seizure of our energy, mineral, and natural resources.”

“There is only one president in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro,” she declared.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on Rodriguez and the interim administration, stating, “We’re going to make decisions based on their actions and their deeds in the days and weeks to come.”

However, Trump has also suggested, “We are going to run the country right,” implying it would be financially advantageous.

This likely references Venezuela’s oil wealth, as he has accused Caracas of “stealing” US assets due to its nationalization of investments from American oil companies.

He has also stated there would be no boots on the ground in Venezuela, without clarifying how the US would “run” the country.

María Corina Machado, the opposition leader and last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, has also claimed the presidency for Edmundo Gonzalez, who ran against Maduro in the 2024 election that the US and many international observers deemed rigged.

Gonzalez was the opposition candidate after Maduro barred Machado from competing in the election.

Although Trump has supported the assertion of a rigged election and Gonzalez being the true victor, he has remained silent on them.

The Justice Department’s charging document revealed that Maduro, along with his wife and the current and former interior ministers, conducted a drug operation for 25 years and presided “atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has used governmental power to protect and promote illegal activities.”

The charges also name the leader of Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang that has spread across the US during former President Joe Biden’s administration, Colombian terrorist groups FARC and ELN, and Mexican drug cartels Sinaloa and Zeta.

Maduro and his associates are accused of collaborating with these groups in running the alleged drug operation.