Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges related to narco-terrorism at his first federal court appearance on Monday, two days after he was captured by U.S. forces from a compound in his nation’s capital.
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are escorted by armed guards to a federal court in Manhattan.
GC Images
Key Takeaways
- Maduro and his wife, Venezuelan First Lady Cilia Flores, were arraigned on charges related to narco-terrorism at a Manhattan federal court on Monday.
- Maduro, who spoke through a translator, said he was “innocent” and insisted he was “kidnapped,” the New York TImes first reported from the courtroom.
- Flores also pleaded not guilty, adding that she was “completely innocent.”
- Maduro retained Barry J. Pollack, a trial lawyer and partner at Harris, St. Laurent & Wechsler who previously secured a plea deal that resulted in Julian Assange’s release in 2024, according to court filings.
- Before the hearing, Maduro and Flores were escorted by armed guards from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, traveling by first a helicopter then armored vehicle to the Manhattan courthouse just over five miles away, multiple outlets reported.
- Maduro’s case was assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein, a 92-year-old federal judge first appointed to the bench by former President Bill Clinton in 1998.
- Pollack told the judge Maduro was “not seeking release at this time,” but Hellerstein said he could apply for bail at a later date.
- The hearing lasted about half an hour, and Hellerstein set Maduro’s next court date for March 17.
What Charges Is Maduro Facing?
The Justice Department unveiled a new indictment against Maduro after his capture on Saturday, charging the Venezuelan leader with narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. Flores was also named as a defendant in the indictment, as well as some Venezuelan government figures still inside the country, including the country’s interior minister and Maduro’s son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra. It also named the alleged leader of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a defendant, although a past U.S. intelligence analysis memo from last April found the Venezuelan government did not control the group.
Key Background
Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in a raid on a Venezuelan military compound in the capital of Caracas. The Venezuelan leader has served as president of his country since 2013, and has long faced accusations of corruption and presiding over rigged elections. He has also faced accusations of drug trafficking from the Department of Justice, and was first indicted on drug trafficking charges during the first Trump administration. Speaking on Saturday after the mission, dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” President Trump said the U.S. was “not afraid of boots on the ground” and said U.S. oil companies would have a role in rebuilding the country’s petroleum industry. Before the strike on Saturday, the U.S. spent months building up its military presence in the Caribbean. Beginning in September, the U.S. began conducting strikes on alleged drug traffickers in boats in the Caribbean, as well as seizing sanctioned oil tankers. Trump declared a ‘complete blockade’ of sanctioned vessels leaving the country in December.
