For decades, the United States has used its global influence to shape events far beyond its borders. In rare cases, that power has extended to capturing foreign leaders accused of serious crimes.
These cases reveal how political pressure, military force, and international law intersect, and why such actions often spark intense debate around the world.
Manuel Noriega, Panama
Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno was the military ruler of Panama from 1983 until 1989, a period in which his government was marked by widespread corruption and involvement in drug trafficking.
Noriega had long been on the U.S. radar for his cooperation with Colombian drug cartels and for turning Panama into a hub for narcotics movement into the United States.
Tensions between Noriega and the U.S. escalated in the late 1980s as the Reagan administration grew increasingly frustrated with his double-dealing and authoritarian rule.
In December 1989, President George H. W. Bush ordered a full-scale invasion of Panama, codenamed Operation Just Cause, with the explicit goal of capturing Noriega.
The United States deployed tens of thousands of troops, rapidly overwhelming Panamanian Defense Forces.
Noriega took refuge in the Vatican diplomatic mission in Panama City but eventually surrendered to U.S. forces on January 3, 1990.
He was brought to the United States, tried in federal court on drug trafficking charges to which he pleaded not guilty, was convicted, and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Noriega’s capture and extradition marked one of the most high-profile instances in which the United States unilaterally removed a foreign head of state from power and brought him to answer charges in U.S. courts.
Saddam Hussein, Iraq
Saddam Hussein was the president of Iraq from 1979 until 2003 and led the country through brutal internal repression and conflicts with neighboring states.
The 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S.-led coalition forces, justified by the alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction and links to terrorism, ultimately led to the collapse of Saddam’s regime.
After the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, Saddam went into hiding but remained a key target of U.S. forces.
On December 13, 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured near his hometown of Tikrit in a small underground hideout. Reuters and U.S. military sources later described the operation as the result of intelligence and sustained military pressure.
Saddam was transported to U.S. custody and subsequently turned over to the Iraqi Interim Government. He stood trial in Iraq for crimes against humanity, including the killing of 148 Shiite Muslims in Dujail in 1982, and was found guilty and executed in December 2006.
Although Saddam was not tried in the United States, his capture by U.S. forces remains one of the most significant detentions of a foreign leader in modern history.
Slobodan Milošević, Yugoslavia
Slobodan Milošević was the president of Serbia and later the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the violent Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.
He was eventually arrested by Yugoslav authorities in 2001 and transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, where he faced charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
While not directly captured by U.S. forces, Milošević’s arrest and transfer were supported by U.S. diplomatic and operational involvement as part of NATO’s efforts in the Balkans.
This case is relevant because it illustrates how the United States has collaborated with international tribunals and allies to bring leaders to justice when domestic mechanisms fail.
Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela
In a dramatic and unprecedented development in early 2026, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro was captured by United States forces during a large-scale operation in Caracas.
On January 3, 2026, U.S. military and law enforcement units executed a coordinated mission to detain Maduro and his wife, former first lady Cilia Flores.
The US is citing longstanding federal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and other criminal counts.
Reports from international news agencies detail that Maduro was flown to the United States and taken into federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he has made his first court appearance.
Maduro has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has characterized his removal as a “kidnapping,” asserting he remains the legitimate president of Venezuela.
The intervention has sparked widespread debate about international law, national sovereignty, and the use of force by the United States in foreign jurisdictions.
Reactions vary from support among some U.S. policymakers to condemnation by numerous world governments and international organizations.
