Nothing is over in Venezuela: Americans prepare new kidnapping of Maduro's successor, Trump changes plans

In the early morning hours of last Saturday, January 3, 2026, shortly after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arrested, blindfolded, and transported to the United States, a video circulated from Caracas showing Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello surrounded by armed men. Wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet, Cabello characterized Maduro's kidnapping as a "criminal and terrorist attack against our people," while the hum of drones could be heard in the still-dark sky. "I ask the people to remain calm," he stated. "Trust our leadership. Trust our military and political leaders in the difficult situation we face."

A few hours later, US Attorney General Pam Bondi released the unsealed indictment against Maduro, which includes charges of drug trafficking and other offenses. Directly below Maduro's name was that of Cabello. With Maduro now in American custody, Cabello is considered the most powerful Venezuelan official named in the new indictment. "Right now there are essentially three centers of power in Venezuela," explains Brian Fonseca, a professor at Florida International University. "There is the Maduro bloc, whose extension is acting president Delcy Rodríguez. There is Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López. And the third, perhaps the most important, is Diosdado Cabello."

A hardline regime loyalist

The targeting of Cabello by the US is not new. In 2018, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on him, his wife, and his brother for "drug trafficking." An official indictment followed in 2020, with a $10 million bounty—an amount later increased to $25 million—along with allegations that he is a key member of the so-called Cartel de los Soles, a purported drug trafficking network involving state officials. He has dismissed the charges as "one big lie."

At 62, Cabello belongs to the inner circle of the last survivors of Hugo Chávez's "old guard." He was an active participant in the failed coup of 1992. "He was inside the tanks that tried to invade the presidential palace," said Elías Ferrer of Orinoco Research, providing what he called a clear picture of his character. Cabello helped Chávez build his political movement and served as his vice president. During the failed 2002 coup, he even assumed the presidency for a few hours before stepping aside for Chávez's return to power. Since 2024, as Interior Minister, Cabello has controlled the state's primary mechanism for internal repression. Human rights organizations accuse him of leading a wave of crackdowns in late 2025, involving political kidnappings and disappearances. In November, Ámbar Castillo publicly denounced him following the disappearance of her daughter Samanta, who went missing after being arrested by police at the family home in western Caracas.

The political "showman"

Alongside his role in the hardline apparatus, Cabello holds a second, more unusual title: that of a television host. Since 2013, he has hosted the weekly program “Con el Mazo Dando,” a multi-hour political talk show with a satirical and aggressive tone. There, Cabello jokes, claims to reveal classified information, and attacks political opponents, especially in the US. A frequent target is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom he calls "the Crazy Cuban," while shortly before Maduro's arrest, he ironically labeled Donald Trump "Lord Emperor." Despite the humorous tone, rights organizations denounce the show as a tool of intimidation. In 2025, Amnesty International criticized Cabello for announcing the arrest of a journalist during the broadcast.

Is Cabello next?

According to Brian Fonseca, Cabello's future is extremely uncertain. "If the Americans can arrest Maduro, it's a message to everyone: no one is invulnerable," he notes. He estimates that Cabello has very little room for compromise due to the heavy charges and his ideological trajectory. "Either he changes his stance, or he's finished," says Fonseca. "He has spent his whole life in conflict with the US. That is hard to reverse. His options are few: exile, prison, or a fight to the end."

US Target

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has sounded the alarm regarding Venezuela's hardline Interior Minister, warning that he may find himself at the top of its target list unless he helps Acting President Delcy Rodriguez meet US demands and maintain order following the overthrow of Nicolas Maduro, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Cabello, who controls security forces accused of wide-scale human rights violations, is one of the few Maduro loyalists whom President Donald Trump has decided to rely on temporarily to maintain stability during the transition period, said one source briefed on the US administration's thinking. American officials are particularly concerned that Cabello, due to his history of repression and rivalry with Rodriguez, could upend their plans, and are attempting to force his cooperation while simultaneously considering ways to remove him from power and send him into exile.

The communication

Through intermediaries, the US has communicated to Cabello that in the event of disobedience, he could face the same fate as Maduro—who was arrested by an American operation on Saturday and taken to New York to stand trial on "narco-terrorism" charges—or even that his life could be at risk, according to a Reuters source. However, neutralizing Cabello would be dangerous, as it could mobilize pro-government motorcycle groups, known as colectivos, to take to the streets and cause the chaos that Washington wishes to avoid. Their reaction depends in part on whether they feel protected by other officials.

In one of her first moves as acting president, Rodriguez appointed General Gustavo González López as the new head of the Presidential Guard and the Military Counterintelligence Directorate (DGCIM), state television reported. González López, who has been sanctioned by the US and EU for rights violations and corruption, served as director of Venezuela's intelligence agency until mid-2024 and then collaborated with Rodriguez on strategic issues at the state oil company PDVSA. The choice of González López, who is considered close to Cabello, has not been clarified as to whether it constitutes a sign of support or a potential sign of a rift between Rodriguez and the ruling party's strongman. The officer replaces General Javier Marcano, whose performance came under scrutiny following Maduro's arrest.

Other targets

The list of potential American targets also includes Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, who, like Cabello, is prosecuted by the US for drug involvement and has a multi-million dollar bounty on his head. US officials consider his cooperation critical to avoiding a power vacuum, as he controls the armed forces and they believe he is less dogmatic than Cabello and more likely to align with American demands while ensuring his own safety. The US government has decided that the Venezuelan opposition, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, is not capable of maintaining order during this transition period, while Trump has relied on a secret CIA assessment which concluded that Maduro's top associates are the most suitable to temporarily manage the country.

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