New York, New York - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro was in a New York jail on Sunday after a shock US snatch-and-grab raid to remove him from power and assert Washington's control over the oil-rich South American nation.

The US military carried out air strikes on Venezuela's capital Caracas early on Saturday. Commandos captured Maduro and his wife, who were flown to New York City.

Handcuffed and in sandals, Maduro was escorted by federal agents through a Manhattan US Drug Enforcement Administration facility, a video posted by the White House on social media showed.

"Good night, happy new year," the 63-year-old leftist was heard saying in English.

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Maduro arrived Saturday evening at a military base in the US and was transferred to New York City, after his capture by American forces in Caracas.

FBI agents surrounded Maduro as he descended from a US government plane and slowly escorted him along the tarmac at a National Guard facility in New York state.

The leftist leader was then flown by helicopter to Manhattan, where a large law enforcement contingent awaited, AFP images showed.

The 63-year-old leader was to be taken first to the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, then to the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal facility in Brooklyn.

The detention center is the same jail where rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs was held throughout his trial last year.

Maduro and his wife are to be arraigned at an unspecified date before a judge in New York. They have been charged with "narco-terrorism," importing tons of cocaine into the US, and possession of illegal weapons.

The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel amid a massive US military buildup in Latin America.

The Venezuelan leader has long denied the allegations while accusing Washington of seeking regime change to gain access to the country's massive oil reserves.

In a Saturday press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump made clear that regime change and controlling Venezuela's oil riches were the primary objectives of the operation in Caracas.