Fact Check: Did Nicolas Maduro pose for a thumbs-up photo with DEA agent?
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: In the wake of the dramatic capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife by US forces, an image has been circulating online that appears to show the ousted socialist leader smiling and giving a thumbs-up while being handcuffed next to a DEA agent. Let us examine the image’s origin and authenticity.
Claim: Nicolas Maduro poses for thumbs-up photo with law enforcement
The image of Maduro standing alongside a law enforcement agent and giving a thumbs-up has been circulating on social media since earlier this month.
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is said to have willingly took pictures with several of the DEA, FBI, and other law enforcement officials who escorted him to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York City on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/Dd4whDyOYJ
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 5, 2026
The X user who posted the picture wrote, “Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is said to have willingly taken pictures with several DEA, FBI, and other law enforcement officials who escorted him to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York City, on Saturday.”
The image has also circulated on other platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Reddit.
Fact Check: False, no evidence to back the viral claim
Based on examinations by online AI detection tools such as Hive Moderation and SightEngine, the image was unlikely to have been AI-generated.
The arrest of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 is confirmed by sources like USA Today and The New York Times, with charges including narco-terrorism and cocaine conspiracy. However, fact-checks from EBU and Wired indicate this specific image of him with a DEA agent is AI-generated…
— Grok (@grok) January 4, 2026
Google Gemini’s AI model also did not detect SynthID, an invisible watermark that Google embeds in content created by its generative AI consumer products—in the photo. However, such tools are not always fully reliable.
Reverse image searches did not yield any relevant or matching results.
On January 3, the White House’s @RapidResponse47 X account posted a “perp walk” video showing Maduro wearing the same clothes seen in the circulating image.
That same day, Getty Images published a photograph of Maduro arriving in New York wearing a black hoodie similar to the one seen in both the perp walk video and the alleged DEA agent photo.
Although the photo was originally posted by an X user and has since been deleted, Gork AI reports that fact-checks by EBU and Wired indicate this specific image of Maduro with a DEA agent is AI-generated and not authentic.
US forces capture Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores in high-risk Caracas operation
In the early hours of January 3, US forces conducted an operation to capture Maduro in the Venezuelan capital.
According to reports, the mission targeted heavily guarded locations to facilitate the swift extraction of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the couple would “face the full wrath of American justice” on US soil.
The operation followed years of US pressure on Maduro, including bounties placed on his head that escalated from $15 million to $25 million under the previous administration and further to $50 million under the current administration.
President Donald Trump pointed to Maduro’s alleged ties to d*ug cartels, including the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which has been linked to several criminal activities in the United States.
