The Spy Inside Maduro’s government: How the CIA Tracked the Venezuelan Leader

A US spy gathered information on “how he moved, where he lived, where he travelled, what he ate and wore, and even his pets”.

The operation that changed Latin America The largest US military operation in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 36 years ago involved 150 different types of aircraft, the Delta Force — an elite unit tasked with special operations — and multiple intelligence agencies. Yet the mission could not have succeeded without crucial intelligence provided by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which had operatives embedded in Venezuela since last summer.

Information from the agency proved decisive in locating Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the room where they were sleeping in a military facility near Caracas. The operation had the feel of a high-stakes spy thriller. A Delta Force team apprehended the couple before they could reach a specially reinforced safe room designed to protect them from intrusions. After their capture, Maduro was flown to New York to face charges of narco-terrorism, according to documents released by US Attorney General Pam Bondi.

A small CIA team travelled covertly to Caracas in August, establishing contacts until they secured an informant inside Maduro’s government, according to reports by The New York Times and CNN. Field agents managed to recruit a high-value asset who provided intelligence that tracked Maduro’s movements and pinpointed his location ahead of the operation.

Weeks before the team was deployed, Bondi announced that the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest would rise to $50 million (€42.6 million). The attorney general had accused him of collaborating with criminal organisations such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel to traffic drugs into the United States. “He is one of the world’s biggest drug traffickers and a threat to our national security,” she stated.

Ultimately, the $50 million reward proved decisive. Former officials told The New York Times that the CIA received support in exchange for the reward offered by Washington for intelligence leading to Maduro’s capture.

CIA agents in Venezuela worked quickly to map out patterns, frequent locations, and precise movements of the Venezuelan leader. Thanks to the infiltrated source, they gathered invaluable details on Maduro’s lifestyle and entourage, including his Cuban bodyguard unit.

The CIA’s intelligence was crucial in predicting where Maduro would sleep on Saturday. It played a key role in “locating” and targeting him during Operation Absolute Resolution, President Donald Trump revealed during a press briefing on the military intervention.

The intelligence team gathered information on “how he moved, where he lived, where he travelled, what he ate, what he wore, and even his pets,” according to General Dan Caine, head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The presence of CIA operatives in Venezuela was not unexpected. Late last summer, Trump authorised covert operations on Venezuelan soil as part of a broader pressure campaign under the guise of fighting narcotics trafficking. The White House had previously labelled Venezuela a narco-state and Maduro the leader of the “Cartel of the Suns,” an alleged cocaine trafficking network.

Since September, the US military has targeted boats suspected of carrying drugs, sinking around 30 vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific near Venezuela and Colombia. These operations, carried out without judicial approval or Congressional consent, have resulted in approximately 110 deaths.

CIA involvement became evident when Trump confirmed a drone strike on a Venezuelan cargo dock — the first on-the-ground action in the campaign that culminated in Maduro’s removal. By late December, it emerged that the strike had been coordinated by the CIA.

Covert agents reported that the coastal facility stored cocaine shipments for the Tren de Aragua cartel, designated by US authorities as a narco-terrorist group, and also served as a loading point for vessels transporting the drugs abroad.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during his confirmation speech months earlier, pledged to lead a more aggressive agency, willing to conduct covert operations to gather intelligence and advance US policy, according to The New York Times.

The capture of Nicolás Maduro marks a turning point in US operations in Latin America, demonstrating the decisive role of intelligence and covert action. The CIA’s network of spies inside Venezuela proved invaluable, providing critical details on the president’s movements, lifestyle, and security.

Beyond the immediate military success, the operation sends a clear message about the reach and capabilities of US intelligence, reinforcing the administration’s stance against narcotics trafficking and corruption. It also highlights the growing influence of clandestine operations in shaping international politics and security.

Coming Soon

The transcript is a lengthy conversation between Alex Jones and guest Patrick Byrne discussing recent U.S. military action in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife.Key points raised in the discussion:

The operation is described as a highly successful, sophisticated Delta Force raid on a military base in Caracas, credited as one of the most daring U.S. missions in recent decades. Maduro, indicted on drug trafficking charges and not recognized as Venezuela's legitimate president by the U.S. and many other countries, was the primary target. His wife was also arrested.
Both speakers assert that the raid was not a standard criminal arrest but the capture of an enemy combatant. They argue Maduro possesses critical intelligence about Venezuelan ties to Cuba, China, Iran, and Russia, as well as alleged election interference, money laundering, drug trafficking, and penetration of U.S. institutions by communist spies.
A central theory presented is that the operation effectively functioned as a rescue mission from Maduro's perspective. They claim Cuban bodyguards and intelligence personnel controlled Maduro, prevented him from accepting prior U.S. offers to leave the country with substantial funds, and intended to force him to die as a martyr (similar to historical examples like Salvador Allende or Che Guevara). Evidence cited includes Maduro's relieved body language in videos and photos, Cuba's announcement of mourning for 32 Cuban “patriots” killed during the raid, and prior reports that Maduro wanted to exit but could not.
Alternative or complementary explanations include the possibility that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez tipped off U.S. forces about Maduro's location to position herself favorably, or that Maduro secretly coordinated with U.S. authorities, offering full cooperation in exchange for extraction.
The speakers predict Maduro will cooperate fully (“sing like a canary” or “turn state's evidence”), revealing secrets about international networks, U.S. election fraud involving Venezuelan-linked systems (e.g., Smartmatic/Dominion), bribes to Latin American leaders and Hollywood celebrities, and alleged communist spies inside the U.S. government. They suggest this should be handled as a national security matter by the Department of Defense rather than standard DOJ processes.
Discussion addresses the decision to leave Delcy Rodríguez temporarily in power: framed as a pragmatic choice to avoid civil war, maintain bureaucratic continuity, and allow time for reforms and genuine elections, drawing comparisons to post-WWII denazification in Germany (contrasted favorably with the chaotic de-Ba'athification in Iraq).
Broader geopolitical implications include reasserting the Monroe Doctrine, preventing China from accessing Venezuela's vast oil reserves, halting alleged election interference in the hemisphere, and weakening allied regimes in Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia. The action is portrayed as a strategic pivot away from large-scale regime change toward precise operations, part of a larger shift rejecting globalist agendas in favor of populist nationalism.
Additional topics touched on include Maduro's protection by Cuban forces, historical Cuban influence in Venezuela, potential exposure of rigged elections across Latin America, bribes to regional leaders and celebrities, collapsing regimes in Cuba and Iran, and the risk/reward calculus for China regarding Taiwan.

The conversation is enthusiastic, speculative in parts, and frames the Venezuela operation as a historic turning point that disrupts adversarial global networks while advancing U.S. interests in the hemisphere.

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