Nicolás Maduro

Who is Nicolás Maduro?

Nicolás Maduro Moros served as President of Venezuela from April 2013 — when he assumed the office following the death of Hugo Chávez — until January 3, 2026, when U.S. special operations forces captured him and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas as part of a wider military operation called Operation Resolve. Both were transported to the United States and indicted in the Southern District of New York. Maduro was charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons offences against the United States.

Inside Venezuela, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Acting President on January 5, 2026 under constitutional succession. The Venezuelan government and the National Assembly continue to assert that Maduro is the de jure president of Venezuela; the United States and most of its allies treat him as removed from power. The legitimacy of the U.S. capture remains contested under international law.

For foreign-investor and compliance teams, Maduro's incarceration is the most significant change to the Venezuelan political risk picture in over a decade. PDVSA joint ventures, OFAC general licenses, sovereign-debt trajectory, and the entire post-2017 sanctions architecture were all built around his administration; the Rodríguez-led transition is the new counterparty.

Also known as: Nicolás Maduro Moros; Maduro.

Career timeline

• 2006–2013 — Foreign Minister of Venezuela
• 2012–2013 — Executive Vice President of Venezuela
• 2013 — Assumed the presidency after the death of Hugo Chávez
• 2017 — Added to the OFAC SDN list under Venezuela-related sanctions
• 2018 — Re-elected in an election widely rejected by the U.S., EU, and most Latin American governments
• 2024 — Declared winner of the July 28 presidential election; results disputed by the opposition and rejected by the U.S.
• 2026 — Captured by U.S. military forces in Caracas on January 3 (Operation Resolve); arraigned in U.S. federal court in New York

Network & connections

The following figures are part of Nicolás Maduro's direct political, cabinet, or institutional network — useful for compliance teams mapping the wider Venezuelan power structure:

• Cilia Flores — Former First Lady of Venezuela (in U.S. federal custody)
• Delcy Rodríguez — Acting President of Venezuela
• Diosdado Cabello — Minister of Interior, Justice, and Peace
• María Corina Machado — Leader of the Vente Venezuela opposition party
• Edmundo González Urrutia — Opposition presidential candidate (2024; in exile)

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• Wikipedia: Nicolás Maduro
• U.S. State Department: Nicolás Maduro Moros (Captured)
• U.S. Department of War — capture announcement
• Wikipedia: Prosecution of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores

Useful tools and explainers

• Browse all active OFAC Venezuela SDN designations — the live US Treasury tracker for individuals, entities, vessels, and aircraft.
• OFAC Venezuela sanctions checker — paste any name to check it against the active SDN list.
• How to invest in Venezuela (2026 sanctions-safe guide)
• Browse all Venezuelan power figures