Venezuelan security forces have detained at least five Americans in recent months as the United States has stepped up pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s government, a US official said.
The circumstances surrounding the detentions vary, with some of the individuals possibly linked to drug smuggling, according to the official.
US authorities are still gathering details about what the Americans were doing in Venezuela at the time of their arrests.
Officials in the Trump administration believe the Maduro government is holding the Americans as leverage against Washington, the official said, amid an intensified pressure campaign that has included US strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats, a CIA drone strike on a Venezuelan port facility, and a recent blockade of sanctioned oil shipments.
The approach mirrors tactics used by Russia, a close ally of Venezuela, which has detained several Americans in recent years amid strained relations with the United States.
While the Trump administration has stopped short of explicitly calling for regime change, it has accused Maduro of illegitimacy and alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
Pressure on his government has steadily increased through financial measures, including restrictions on oil exports.
In December, the US State Department announced two rounds of sanctions targeting members of Maduro’s family, including three nephews, his sister-in-law, and other relatives. That same month, the US carried out its first known strike on a land target in Venezuela, hitting a port facility in a CIA drone operation.
Asked on Thursday about the port facility attack, Maduro said it “could be a topic we might discuss in a few days” and sought to reassure the public about national security.
Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro.
“What I can tell you is that the national defense system, which combines the popular military and police forces, has guaranteed and continues to guarantee the territorial integrity, peace, and stability of the country,” Maduro said in an interview with Ignacio Ramonet, recorded on Wednesday and broadcast Thursday on state-run channel VTV. “Our people are safe and at peace.”
Human rights groups say Venezuela is holding hundreds of political prisoners, including individuals detained after the 2024 election, which Maduro claimed to have won but which independent observers described as undemocratic.
Venezuelan rights organizations said dozens of prisoners were released on Thursday. None of those released were Americans, according to Alfredo Romero, head of the human rights group Foro Penal.