Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty on Monday to US federal charges relating to drugs, weapons and narco-terrorism, appearing in court two days after he was seized by US special forces in an operation authorised by Donald Trump that sent shockwaves through the international community.
The arraignment, held in federal court in Manhattan, lasted just under 30 minutes and was limited largely to procedural matters, including confirmation of Maduro’s identity and acknowledgement that he understood the four charges.
The restrained and formal nature of the hearing stood in stark contrast to the global repercussions of the US operation.
While Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, addressed the court in lower Manhattan, the UN security council convened an emergency session a short distance away, where several nations denounced the US “crime of aggression” and secretary general António Guterres indicated that the intervention may have breached international law.
During the hearing, Maduro, 63, asserted to federal judge Alvin Hellerstein that he was “still president of my country”, claimed he had been unlawfully “captured” at his home in Caracas, and described himself as “a prisoner of war”.
“I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man,” he said in Spanish, repeatedly attempting to speak over the judge.
Maduro entered the courtroom with his ankles shackled, though his wrists were not restrained, and briefly looked toward the jury box before turning to observers and saying “Happy new year!” in English.
He was dressed in orange slippers, a blue shirt layered over a neon orange shirt, and beige trousers, and spent much of the session writing notes on a legal pad.
Prosecutors have charged Maduro with four federal criminal counts, including “narco-terrorism” conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. Each carries a potential life sentence.
The case stems from an earlier indictment filed in 2020, which charged Maduro and 14 figures from his inner circle as part of a wide-ranging investigation into alleged collaboration between Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrilla groups in large-scale drug trafficking.
Maduro’s defence attorney, Barry Pollack, did not seek bail at this stage, but said he would later submit a motion referencing what he described as a “military abduction”.
Flores, Venezuela’s first lady, was also detained during the pre-dawn raid on Saturday, in which at least 40 people were reported killed, including civilians and Venezuelan and Cuban security personnel.
Her lawyer, Mark Donnelly, told the court that she sustained “significant injuries during her abduction” and required medical examination for “severe bruising” to her ribs.
Flores appeared in court with large Band-Aids on her temple and forehead and, when entering her plea, said she was “completely innocent”.
Both were transported to Manhattan under heavy security from the Metropolitan detention center in Brooklyn, a high-security facility that has previously housed Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, and the singer Diddy.
The jail has also held former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted on drug smuggling charges in 2024 before being pardoned by Trump last month.
Maduro and Flores were flown by helicopter to Manhattan and escorted by heavily armed law enforcement officers into an armoured vehicle for transfer to the courthouse, where rival groups of supporters and opponents gathered and clashed outside.
The highly unusual sight of a sitting — though deposed — head of state appearing in a US courtroom, partially shackled and dressed in a blue shirt over neon orange prison clothing and khaki trousers, drew comparisons to the prosecution of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega in 1991 and the public trial of Saddam Hussein in 2006.
The indictment unveiled on Saturday by US attorney general Pam Bondi reiterated Trump’s argument that the intervention in Venezuela was necessary to curb drug flows into the United States.
“Maduro and his co-conspirators have, for decades, partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world, and relied on corrupt officials throughout the region, to distribute tons of cocaine to the US,” the indictment alleges.
US military strikes on suspected “narco boats” in the months preceding the raid in Venezuela have reportedly resulted in at least 110 deaths, prompting questions from legal analysts over whether the operations may constitute war crimes.
Trump has also defended the seizure of Maduro as a means for the US to claim control over “stolen” Venezuelan oil, vowing that the United States would “run” the country for the foreseeable future while US energy firms take over its oil reserves.
In Caracas, Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, an elected official, told the national assembly that the US had “kidnapped” his father.
Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as acting president on Monday, appeared to soften earlier defiant statements and signalled a willingness to engage with Washington, hours after Trump warned she could “pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro” if she resisted.
Trump’s actions triggered widespread international criticism and fears that the bombing in Caracas — which he has threatened to carry out again if Venezuela does not comply — could extend to other adversarial states, including Colombia, Cuba and Iran.
Such a move would represent a revival of earlier eras of “naked imperialism” by the US in Latin America, said Alan McPherson, a history professor at Temple University, in comments to the Guardian.
Tensions escalated further on Monday when Colombian president Gustavo Petro said his country would “take up arms” if Trump pursued military action there.
At the UN security council meeting, Guterres — in a statement delivered by a diplomat — said he was “deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability [in Venezuela], the potential impact on the region, and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted”.
He added: “I remain deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected.”
