A plane carrying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has landed in New York after a late-night US operation in Caracas.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken off the aircraft upon arrival in New York.

Footage aired by several US outlets showed Maduro surrounded by law enforcement officers as he was escorted off the plane at Stewart Air National Guard Base.

Flores was not clearly visible in the footage.

US forces captured and flew Maduro and Flores to the United States early Saturday in what President Donald Trump described as a dramatic overnight operation.

Trump said Washington would run Venezuela until a "safe, proper, and judicious transition" is secured.

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment early Saturday, accusing Maduro and Flores of trafficking "tonnes of cocaine" into the United States, along with other alleged crimes.

The transfer has drawn criticism from legal experts and political observers, who warn that the operation may violate international law, bypass Congress and risk further instability in Venezuela and the wider region.