Street justice Armed, pro-Maduro motorcycle gang thugs hunting for Trump supporters in Caracas days after dictator’s capture
Armed pro-regime militias on motorbikes have flooded the streets of Caracas, targeting Venezuelans who support the US operation that captured dictator Nicolás Maduro, according to videos, firsthand accounts, and multiple reports.
The masked groups, known as Colectivos, wielding Russian automatic weapons, brought rush-hour traffic to a standstill, stopping drivers at checkpoints and demanding to search their phones and vehicles, four sources in Venezuela confirmed Monday and Tuesday.
Residents described a tense atmosphere amid uncertainty about what comes next. “The situation is very tense,” one Venezuelan told The Post, requesting anonymity due to fear of retaliation. Another journalist said colleagues are in hiding to avoid arrest and the documented torture that occurs in Caracas prisons. Some citizens have reportedly stopped carrying their phones to avoid confiscation.
“The future is uncertain. The Colectivos have weapons, the Colombian guerrilla is already here in Venezuela, so we don’t know what’s going to happen. Time will tell,” said Oswaldo, a 69-year-old shop owner, speaking to the Telegraph.
Gunfire and anti-aircraft fire were reported overnight in Caracas. A Venezuelan ministry spokesperson later clarified that the government had fired on drones flying without authorization, asserting that “no confrontation occurred.” Video shared with The Post appeared to show the Maduro administration distributing weapons to civilian supporters, or “milicianos.”
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, sworn in as interim president Monday, declared a state of emergency banning any celebrations of the US military operation. Police have been ordered to “immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States.” Fourteen journalists, including 11 from foreign outlets, have already been detained.
Officials have also been authorized to search civilians’ phones for evidence of support for Maduro’s capture. Venezuela’s national press union condemned the actions, saying, “It is not possible to move towards a democratic transition while political persecution, censorship, arbitrary imprisonment, and systematic violation of fundamental rights persist.” The union warned that these practices “weaken public debate and deprive citizens of truthful and timely information, an indispensable condition for democratic participation and oversight.”
The deployment of the Colectivos, largely controlled by Maduro ally Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, reflects how hard the regime is working to retain power. Video footage shows paramilitaries shouting, “Always loyal, never traitors,” alongside Cabello, who has a $50 million drug trafficking bounty on his head.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were removed from Venezuela by US forces Saturday and charged with narco-terrorism after months of US airstrikes against alleged drug-smuggling operations in the Caribbean. They pleaded not guilty in New York federal court, with Maduro declaring he is “still president of my country.” Rodriguez has said Venezuela is prepared to work with the US, though she previously called the raid illegal.
Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, who has been in hiding, announced plans to return to the country. However, President Trump has indicated he intends to oversee Venezuela temporarily rather than immediately allowing Machado to take the lead. “I don’t think she’s got the support of the people that she has to have,” Trump told The Post Sunday. “That’s all.”
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