On 3/1, the White House posted a video of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, dressed in black and wearing sandals, being escorted by law enforcement at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office in New York. The accompanying caption read, "extradition of a criminal".

In the video, Maduro appeared to say, "Hello. Happy New Year" to a bystander. The Venezuelan president was previously transported by helicopter from Stewart Air National Guard Base to Manhattan. Another video showed a helicopter landing and armored vehicles moving into a Manhattan building, seemingly to escort Maduro to a detention facility.

The New York Police Department confirmed that a convoy of law enforcement escorted the Venezuelan president to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York City. This facility houses many defendants in major federal cases across the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced a 25-page indictment against the Venezuelan leader and his wife. Maduro faces drug and weapons charges and is expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan next week, as early as 5/1. His wife, Cilia Flores, is also required to appear in court.

Early on 3/1, the U.S. military launched "Operation Absolute Resolve" at the request of the Department of Justice. Approximately 150 aircraft, deployed from 20 bases, conducted airstrikes on multiple targets in Venezuela. This action facilitated the entry of helicopter squadrons carrying U.S. special forces and law enforcement into Caracas to execute Maduro's arrest warrant.

The Venezuelan president and his wife were taken aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, operating in the Caribbean Sea. They then stopped at Guantanamo before being transferred to a plane for transport to the U.S.