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President Donald Trump gave a public warning to Mexico, Colombia and Cuba after a U.S. military raid that led to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro being captured on Saturday (January 3).
Trump, who accused Maduro of running a "narco-state," said the raid wasn't meant to be a warning to Mexico, but said "something's going to have to be done" about the country's cartel.
“We’re very friendly with her, she’s a good woman,” Trump said of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo while calling into FOX & Friends on Saturday (h/t the New York Post). “But the cartels are running Mexico — she’s not running Mexico.”
Sheinbaum said Mexico "strongly condemns and rejects" the United States' raid of Venezuela and urged the neighboring country to cease “all acts of aggression against the Venezuelan government and people" in a statement released on Saturday.
Trump also gave a public warning to Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
“He has cocaine mills, he has factories where he makes cocaine. And yeah, I think I stick by my first statement: He’s making cocaine,” Trump said of Petro.
“They’re sending it to the United States. So he does have to watch his ass,” he added after calling Maduro as a “narco-terrorist.”
Trump also bashed Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and called his country a "failing nation."
“Cuba, as you know, is not doing very well right now. That system has not been a very good one for Cuba," Trump said. The people there have suffered for many, many years, and I think Cuba is going to be something we’ll end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now.
“It’s very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we want to also help the people that were forced out of Cuba and living in this country.”
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, reportedly landed at Stewart Airport in Orange County, New York, before being extradited to New York City to face federal charges, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ABC News on Saturday. Maduro is reportedly expected to be taken from Orange County to New York City by helicopter with the DEA and then by motorcade for jail processing, the sources said.
Trumpannounced that Maduro and his wife were captured during a U.S. strike on his country in another post shared on the social media platform.
"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country," Trump wrote. "This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Maduro and Flores will “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts," in a post shared on her X account Saturday morning.
"Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York," Bondi wrote. "Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States. They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts. On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers."
Four locations across Caracas, including two military bases, a naval port and an airport, were targeted during the overnight attacks: Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base; Port La Guaira; Higuerote Airport; and Fuerte Tiuna, according to the BBC. Trump had previously given Maduro an ultimatum to resign and flee the country or face consequences over accusations of drug-running and illegitimacy of power.
The United States accused Maduro of running a "narco-state," as well as rigging his election last year, which the opposition claimed to have won by an overwhelming margin. Maduro, who succeeded Hugo Chavez as Venezuela's president in 2013, claimed that the U.S. government was targeting his country in order to gain control of its oil reserves, which are reported to be the largest in the world.
The state-run oil production and refining were reported to be operating normally and suffered no damage during the U.S. strike, two sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Reuters. The United States military hadn't made as direct an intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in order to forcibly remove then-military leader Manuel Noriega for similar allegations in 1989.
Trump had previously announced on November 27 that U.S. military, which had previously targeted speedboats alleged to be carrying drugs, would expand to land-based operations in Venezuela "very soon."