U.S. special operations troops apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a targeted raid in Caracas, with no American casualties reported. Maduro is now en route to New York to face federal drug trafficking charges, signaling a major escalation in U.S. efforts to dismantle what officials describe as a narco-authoritarian regime. The operation has ignited a firestorm of global reactions—Venezuela condemns it as an illegal invasion, while Russia and China demand a U.N. emergency session. Domestically, the mission is celebrated by many Republicans as a decisive strike against corruption and drug proliferation, but some Democrats have raised legal and ethical concerns over the precedent of abducting a foreign leader. The event marks a turning point in U.S.-Latin America relations and raises urgent questions about sovereignty, justice, and the limits of executive power.