Two days after he was taken from a compound in Caracas, Venezuela’s former president Nicolás Maduro stood inside a Manhattan courtroom on Monday. Wearing a navy shirt over his orange prison clothes and headphones for translation, Maduro pleaded not guilty to US charges and called himself a “prisoner of war.” Maduro formally rejected charges of narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking brought against him by US prosecutors. Here’s everything he told the court on Monday.
‘I Was Kidnapped,’ Maduro tells the Court
Maduro entered the courtroom right at noon, escorted by US marshals. His black hair, streaked with grey, was neatly combed. He walked slowly and scanned the packed room filled with lawyers, reporters, and spectators. “Buenos días,” he said to the crowd. He sat two chairs away from his wife, Cilia Flores, with one of her lawyers seated between them. Flores had visible bruises and bandages on her face.
Maduro tried to keep speaking after entering his plea. He went on to say that he was captured at his home in Caracas on Saturday, January 3. He said he had been kidnapped and wanted to explain himself further. But Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein stopped him. “I only want to know one thing,” the judge said. “Are you Nicolás Maduro Moros?” “I am Nicolás Maduro Moros,” Maduro replied.
The former strongman of Venezuela was forced to follow courtroom rules, where the judge — not the president—has the final say. Maduro kept a calm face, but, according to the reporters, his hands kept moving. Sometimes he gripped the chair tightly. Other times, he folded his hands below his chin like he was praying.
Maduro was captured on Saturday during an operation involving US Army Delta Force commandos. He was taken to the United States along with his wife, Cilia Flores, who also faces criminal charges.
‘I am still President’: Maduro speaks out in US court
“I’m innocent. I’m not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still the president of my country,” he kept saying in Spanish, according to the CNN reporters present inside.
Maduro pleaded not guilty to all four charges against him, which include drug trafficking and weapons offences. His wife, Cilia Flores, also pleaded not guilty. “Not guilty, completely innocent,” Flores told the judge. Neither Maduro nor Flores asked for bail or release. Their next court hearing has been set for March 17 at 11 am ET.
Maduro’s lawyers question the arrest
Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, told the court that he may file motions questioning whether Maduro should be treated as the head of a sovereign country. He also raised concerns about the legality of Maduro’s military capture on foreign soil.
Normally, foreign leaders are protected by immunity under international law. But the US stopped recognising Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president after the disputed 2019 election. Washington also rejected the results of the July 2024 election, which Maduro claimed he won again.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Maduro had been a fugitive from American justice for years. Maduro was first indicted in New York five years ago. Maduro, who became president in 2013 after Hugo Chávez’s death, is expected to challenge the legality of his arrest. He is also expected to challenge the US government’s refusal to recognise him as Venezuela’s rightful leader.
Charges against Maduro
Prosecutors in New York have been pursuing Maduro for years. Along with narco-terrorism and cocaine importation charges, he also pleaded not guilty to charges involving machine guns. As the hearing continued, Maduro pushed the limits of what he could say. At one point, he asked the judge to let him keep his written notes. “I believe you are entitled to keep them,” Judge Hellerstein replied.
The indictment names six defendants in total. They include Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, known as Nicolásito. Alongside him, the documents, according to the NYT, named former Interior Minister Ramón Rodríguez Chacín, current Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, and Héctor Guerrero Flores, the leader of the Tren de Aragua prison gang. The Trump administration has labelled Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organisation and linked it to Maduro’s government.
Allegations against Cilia Flores
Prosecutors say Maduro, Flores, and others partnered with drug traffickers who trafficked cocaine from Venezuela to the US through countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.
Flores is charged in the drug trafficking conspiracy but not in the narco-terrorism case. The indictment also claims she attended a meeting in 2007 where she accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to arrange a meeting between a major drug trafficker and Venezuela’s top anti-drug official at the time.
Trump Says, ‘We’re in Charge’
As Maduro faced the judge in New York, President Donald Trump was making bold statements, speaking to the reporters. Speaking to NBC News, Trump said he considers himself in charge of Venezuela. When asked who is ultimately running the country, Trump answered, “Me.” Later, aboard Air Force One, Trump repeated the claim. “We’re in charge,” he said. Trump named several top officials involved in Venezuela-related decisions, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House official Stephen Miller, and Vice President JD Vance.
Power shift in Caracas
Back in Venezuela, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as acting president. As she took the oath, hundreds of Maduro supporters filled the streets of Caracas. They waved Venezuelan flags and held banners showing support for the ousted leader. Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, addressed Venezuela’s National Assembly just two days after his parents were captured. He said the United States had kidnapped his father and called for international support. “If we normalise the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe,” he said. “Today it’s Venezuela. Tomorrow it could be any nation.”