Maduro in jail, Trump vows to 'run' Caracas

Venezuela now 'under US control'

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Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York, on Saturday.

(REUTERS)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was being held in a New York jail on Saturday, hours after US special forces seized him and flew him out of the country - an operation President Donald Trump said would place Venezuela under effective US control.

Mr Trump's announcement followed a lightning predawn raid in which commandos captured Mr Maduro and his wife as air strikes hit targets in and around Caracas.

A US government aircraft carrying Mr Maduro landed at a military base shortly after nightfall. He was then transported by helicopter to New York City, where the couple were to be arraigned on drug trafficking and weapons charges.

The White House posted video on X showing Mr Maduro, handcuffed and wearing sandals, being escorted by federal agents through a US Drug Enforcement Administration facility in New York.

"Good night, happy new year," the 63-year-old leftist leader was heard saying in English.

Despite the apparent success of the risky operation, what comes next remains uncertain.