Overview
- A U.S. official told CNN that Venezuelan authorities have detained at least five Americans in recent months as Washington escalates strikes, oil interdictions and sanctions against Nicolás Maduro’s government.
- Officials say circumstances vary by case, including possible drug smuggling in some instances, while others appear intended to build bargaining leverage against the United States.
- The State Department is weighing wrongful-detention designations for at least two detainees, including James Luckey-Lange, 28, who vanished after entering Venezuela’s southern border in early December.
- Families and prior reporting identify additional detainees with U.S. ties, including Aidel Suarez and Jonathan Torres Duque, and a U.S. official said the group includes three Venezuelan-American dual nationals and two U.S. citizens with no known ties to Venezuela.
- Prisoner-release talks that freed numerous Americans earlier in 2025 have been suspended as the pressure campaign continues, and U.S. officials have not disclosed a definitive total of those newly detained.