In a saga that reads like the script of a Cold War thriller, a covert U.S. operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has come to light, revealing the extraordinary lengths American authorities went to in their effort to capture one of Latin America’s most controversial leaders. According to an extensive investigation by the Associated Press (AP), a longtime U.S. law enforcement agent, Edwin Lopez, undertook a 16-month campaign to recruit Maduro’s chief pilot, dangling the promise of immense wealth in exchange for betraying the Venezuelan president and delivering him into U.S. custody on federal drug trafficking charges.
The plan, ultimately unsuccessful, underscores the escalating tensions between the Trump administration and Venezuela, as well as the high-stakes, cloak-and-dagger tactics employed by U.S. agencies in their quest to topple Maduro. The details, pieced together from interviews with current and former U.S. officials and one of Maduro’s political opponents, paint a vivid picture of intrigue, danger, and international brinkmanship.
According to AP, the operation began with a secret meeting between Lopez and Maduro’s pilot at an undisclosed airport hangar. During this tense encounter, Lopez made his audacious pitch: if the pilot agreed to divert the president’s plane so U.S. authorities could intercept it, he would be made “a very rich man.” The pilot, cautious but not dismissive, left the meeting noncommittal, yet provided Lopez with his cell number—a subtle signal that he might be open to further discussion.
For the next 16 months, Lopez persisted. Even after retiring from his official government post in July 2025, he continued to communicate with the pilot via encrypted messaging apps, hoping to win his trust and cooperation. The AP reviewed and authenticated text exchanges between the two, including a message from Lopez dated August 7, 2025, in which he wrote, “I’m still waiting for your answer,” and attached a Justice Department press release announcing that the bounty for Maduro’s capture had risen to $50 million.
This dramatic increase in the reward was no coincidence. As AP reports, the Trump administration, having returned to the White House, had adopted an even harder line on Maduro. In October 2025, President Trump authorized the CIA to conduct covert actions inside Venezuela—an extraordinary move reflecting the administration’s view of Maduro as not just a political adversary, but a criminal kingpin whose regime, in their eyes, had destroyed Venezuela’s democracy while propping up drug traffickers, terrorist groups, and communist-run Cuba.
The pressure campaign didn’t stop at covert recruitment. Over the summer of 2025, Trump ordered the deployment of thousands of U.S. troops, attack helicopters, and warships to the Caribbean, with the stated aim of targeting fishing boats suspected of smuggling cocaine out of Venezuela. The U.S. military, according to AP, carried out at least 13 strikes, resulting in the deaths of at least 57 people—including some in the eastern Pacific Ocean. These actions marked a dramatic escalation in Washington’s efforts to destabilize Maduro’s government and disrupt what it alleged was a transnational narcotics network centered around the Venezuelan state.
Throughout the operation, the stakes were sky-high. The AP, citing its sources—all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the mission or fear of retaliation—described a campaign filled with luxury private jets, high-stakes diplomacy, and the delicate wooing of a key Maduro lieutenant. There was even a final maneuver designed to unsettle Maduro himself, raising doubts about the pilot’s loyalties and potentially sowing paranoia within the president’s inner circle.
The U.S. government’s efforts to capture Maduro have long been an open secret, but the details of this particular plot offer a rare glimpse into the methods and mindset of American operatives. The doubling of the bounty, the deployment of military assets, and the authorization of CIA covert actions all point to an administration willing to push the boundaries of international law and diplomatic convention in pursuit of its objectives.
For the pilot, the decision was fraught with peril. On one hand, Lopez’s offer of a “fortune” was undeniably tempting—especially in a country wracked by economic collapse and political repression. On the other, the risks of betrayal were immense. Had he been discovered, the consequences would almost certainly have been fatal, not just for him but potentially for his family and associates.
The AP report, based on interviews with three current and former U.S. officials and one of Maduro’s opponents, underscores the complexity of such covert operations. “All persons in its report spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were either not authorized to discuss the effort or feared retribution for disclosing it,” AP noted, highlighting the climate of secrecy and fear that surrounds such high-level espionage.
The revelations come at a time when U.S.-Venezuela relations are at their lowest ebb in decades. The Trump administration has accused Maduro of running a narco-state, and has sought to isolate his government diplomatically and economically. Critics of the operation, both within the U.S. and abroad, have questioned the wisdom and legality of such aggressive tactics, warning that they could backfire by entrenching Maduro’s grip on power and undermining America’s standing in the region.
Supporters of the hardline approach, however, argue that extraordinary measures are justified given the scale of Venezuela’s crisis. They point to the collapse of the country’s once-mighty oil industry, the exodus of millions of refugees, and the documented links between senior Venezuelan officials and international criminal organizations. In their view, the failure of more conventional diplomatic and economic pressure has left the U.S. with little choice but to consider covert and even military options.
As the story unfolds, one thing is clear: the shadow war between Washington and Caracas is far from over. The failed attempt to flip Maduro’s pilot may have ended in disappointment for U.S. operatives, but it has also exposed the lengths to which American authorities are willing to go in their campaign against the Venezuelan leader. Whether these tactics will ultimately succeed, or merely deepen the crisis, remains an open question—one with profound implications for the future of Venezuela and the wider region.
For now, the intrigue, danger, and high drama of this failed plot serve as a stark reminder of the real-world stakes at play in the struggle for power in Latin America, and the shadowy battles waged far from the public eye.
