American officials state the armed forces mission aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president required months of careful preparation, but the moment Donald Trump gave the command to commence, "Operation Absolute Resolve" only lasted about 150 minutes.
The shocking pre-dawn strike this past weekend marked an unprecedented event in contemporary international relations and led directly to the detention for Venezuela's president along with his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro.
Apprehended by soldiers belonging to an elite American military force while they attempted to escape inside a heavily secured secure chamber, the pair are currently in custody at a holding facility in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism indictments.
At sunrise that morning, the scale of the armed intervention in Caracas, the nation's capital, became apparent.
Photographs from Fuerte Tiuna, a huge army installation in which top government officials reside, reveal blasted structures as well as charred, smouldering vehicles.
It was at this compound where the president and first lady were apprehended, Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández reported.
The mission began with reports of explosions at about 2 AM in Caracas (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).
The US cut power across the capital, Trump later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.
The objective was to disable Venezuela's air defense systems and clear the path for US military helicopters to reach Fuerte Tiuna.
Our evaluation was that we had maintained completely the element of surprise", the top general commented.
Targeted sites included the compound, a maritime facility and an airport. Images show the complex engulfed in flames, with huge flames seen from a great distance.
Venezuelans reported the way US military helicopters flew at low altitude above the city, heading for Fuerte Tiuna.
A number of the aircraft were shot at, however managed to continue flying, military leaders stated.
There was a lot of gunfire," Trump noted.
After landing, troops from the US Army's Delta Force, acted with speed.
They entered to the compound at 02:01 Caracas time, and the presidential couple "gave up" without a struggle, as per accounts.
But, more details were provided. The Maduros attempted to flee into a secure location, described as a heavily fortified bunker.
The secure room was constructed of steel, and he failed to get inside as our personnel were so fast.
It featured an extremely heavy door, a very heavy door," Trump informed the media. "He made it the entrance. He was unable to shut it."
However, even assuming they had managed to get into the bunker, troops could have breached it in approximately "under a minute."
Now in US custody, the couple were transported some 2,100 miles, to New York City.
They were taken by air from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The operation was completed "over the water" by 04:29.
Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation emerged - the president in handcuffs, with hearing protection and a type of blindfold resembling opaque glasses.
After leaving the ship, his initial stop was at the American naval installation at Guantánamo Bay.
They then traveled via official aircraft to a military airfield in New York state, and then via helicopter into New York City.
That same day, footage was released depicting the detainee at the federal drug agency's main office in the city.
He and Cilia Flores are presently being held at a federal holding facility within the city.
They face charges with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, possession of machine guns and explosives, and plots to acquire machine guns and destructive devices against the US.
"They will soon face the full wrath of the US legal system on American soil in American courts," a senior legal official declared.
Footage shows Maduro's arrival into American and journey to detention.
Lena Hoffmann is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, specializing in German current affairs and digital media trends.
