Nicolás Maduro was taken into U.S. custody exactly 35 years after the arrest of Manuel Noriega, Panama’s former leader.
In 1989, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush authorized a military invasion of Panama, forcing Manuel Noriega, the country’s former leader, to seek refuge in the Vatican embassy. Noriega eventually surrendered to U.S. forces on January 3.
Once an ally of the United States and a collaborator with the CIA, Noriega fell out of favor with Washington at the end of his rule due to drug trafficking charges.
The United States also killed Qasem Soleimani, former commander of Iran’s Quds Force, on January 3, 2020.
Both leaders detained by the U.S. were described as “dictators,” and the charges against them were largely similar.
Manuel Noriega was transferred to the United States, convicted on drug trafficking charges, and spent 20 years in U.S. prisons before being sent to France to serve a sentence for money laundering. He was later returned to Panama to serve sentences for crimes including murder, and he died there in 2017.
Moments ago, former President Donald Trump announced that the United States had “detained” Venezuela’s president and his wife during an attack on the country, transferring them out of Venezuela.
The U.S. Departments of State and Justice had previously offered a reward for Maduro’s arrest on charges of violating U.S. drug laws.
U.S. Senator Mark Lee, citing Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his X page, confirmed that Maduro has been arrested and is to be tried in the United States.
