Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty Monday during their first appearance in a US federal court in Manhattan, forcefully denying sweeping drug-and weapons-related charges brought against them by the Justice Department.
Maduro, 66, and Flores, 69, were arraigned in the Southern District of New York on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess those weapons against the United States. Both relied on a Spanish interpreter during the proceedings.
“I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here,” Maduro told US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, insisting he remains Venezuela’s president and claiming he was seeing the indictment for the first time. Flores separately entered her plea, telling the court: “Not guilty. Completely innocent.”
The couple’s court appearance followed their dramatic capture over the weekend at a heavily fortified compound in Caracas by US forces during an operation dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” which US officials said was authorised after President Trump gave the final directive. The Trump administration has long labelled Maduro’s government “illegitimate,” alleging he clung to power through rigged elections, including in 2024. Under Venezuela’s constitution, Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez would be next in line to assume the presidency.
As proceedings began, Maduro briefly denounced his arrest as a kidnapping, declaring, “I am the president of the republic of Venezuela…I am here kidnapped,” before Judge Hellerstein cut him off and moved the hearing forward. The 92-year-old judge then began reading charges spanning more than two decades, while Maduro scribbled notes on a white sheet of paper and asked that his notes be respected.
Maduro and Flores are being held in separate solitary cells at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre, where armed law enforcement officers were stationed outside. The facility has previously housed high-profile defendants, including Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Flores’s attorney, Mark Donnelly, told the court that his client suffered “significant injuries,” including bruising and a possible rib fracture, during her capture and requested a full X-ray evaluation while she remains in federal custody. Donnelly said the injuries were visible in court.
Maduro’s legal team said he is not seeking immediate release but is reserving the right to apply for bail at a later date.
Outside the courtroom, an unexpected sideshow emerged after photos circulated showing Maduro in a bright blue hoodie from a Maine-based apparel company while being transported to New York. The company’s founder, Peter Roberts, stated that the image triggered a surge in calls and online attention. “He definitely gave two thumbs up,” Roberts joked in a video statement, speculating the hoodie was given to Maduro because of the cold weather.
The case now moves forward in Manhattan federal court, where prosecutors allege Maduro led a years-long conspiracy linking Venezuela’s government to drug trafficking and armed groups, charges the former leader and his wife vehemently deny.
