There's been an unwelcome development in Venezuela, and it comes in the form of colectivos on motorcycles armed with Russian-made weapons hunting down citizens who cheered the actions of the Trump administration, which led to the fall of dictator Nicolás Maduro. While Maduro awaits justice in a New York jail, his civilian foot soldiers – after having gone underground in the wake of the United States' successful combined military and law enforcement action – have surfaced and are looking to serve up a justice of their own on anyone who welcomed Trump's involvement and cheered Maduro's removal.
Several different reports say colectivos descended upon the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Monday and Tuesday, causing gridlock and mayhem as they hunted down Trump supporters and looked to mete out revenge.
The masked thugs, known as Colectivos, holding Russian automatic weapons, brought rush hour traffic to a grinding halt in the Venezuelan capital, stopping drivers at checkpoints and demanding to search their phones and cars, four sources in Venezuela confirmed Monday and Tuesday.
The troubled circumstances have residents on edge over what will happen next, said the Venezuelans, who requested anonymity because of the threat of retaliation.
Pro-Maduro motorcycle gang, ‘Colectivos,’ hunting for Trump supporters in Caracas https://t.co/HFMzoAEl9C pic.twitter.com/vkZeeStT8w
— New York Post (@nypost) January 6, 2026
The reemergence of the colectivos comes on the heels of reports that the interim Venezuelan government had begun its own hunt for those who celebrated Maduro's arrest. Here's RedState's Ward Clark on Monday:
Now the top man and his wife are facing federal charges in the United States, but his illegal junta is still in charge of the South American nation, and already, they are seeking reprisals against anyone in Venezuela who may have supported the American raid.
Venezuelan authorities have been ordered to find and arrest anyone involved in supporting the military operation that led to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.
A state of emergency decree issued Saturday, but published Monday, orders police to "immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States," according to the text of the decree, Reuters reported.
It was not clear what charges could be levied against those taken into custody.
As Ward noted, the colectivos had gone silent while the government hunted down its perceived enemies, but now it's a one-two punch against those who welcome the demise of communism in their country. Journalists are reportedly also going into hiding, fearing the revenge efforts of the regime.
One local said, “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."
READ MORE: Venezuela's New President Has the Same Crime Problem As Maduro and Might Be a Helluva Lot Smarter
Venezuela Now Hunting Supporters of Maduro's U.S. Capture
If you haven't read streiff's take on the new regime, headed temporarily by Maduro associate Delcy Rodriguez, it lays out beautifully how the new regime, nominally supported by the Trump administration, is same as the old regime. Rodriguez, writes streiff, "is a communist activist and a trusted deputy of both Chavez and Maduro," who was sanctioned by Trump during his first term for "repressing dissent."
The terror campaign currently being waged by the colectivos certainly seems to bolster that the idea that the names may have changed, but the communist ideology persists, and, as streiff concluded, "the only thing that has changed since Saturday is that Maduro is gone."
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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