Maduro pleads not guilty after capture in shock US attack on Venezuela

“The Daily Baku” reports that, ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro entered a not guilty plea on Monday to charges of drug trafficking, weapons offences and narco-terrorism, just two days after being seized by US special forces in a dramatic operation ordered by Donald Trump that reverberated across the globe.

The brief and highly procedural arraignment in a Manhattan federal court — lasting less than half an hour and limited to confirming Maduro’s identity and his understanding of the four charges — contrasted sharply with the profound international consequences of the US action.

As Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared before the court in lower Manhattan, the UN security council convened an emergency session nearby. During the meeting, more than a dozen countries condemned what they described as a US “crime of aggression”, while UN secretary general António Guterres indicated the operation may have violated international law.

Addressing federal judge Alvin Hellerstein, the 63-year-old Maduro insisted he remained “the president of my country”, claimed he had been unlawfully seized from his home in Caracas, and described himself as “a prisoner of war”.

“I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man,” Maduro said in Spanish, repeatedly attempting to speak over the judge.

He entered the courtroom with shackles on his ankles, though his wrists were unrestrained, and glanced toward the jury box. Before taking his seat, he greeted those in the public gallery with “Happy new year!” spoken in English.

Maduro wore orange prison slippers, a blue shirt layered over a bright orange top, and beige trousers, and spent much of the hearing jotting notes on a legal pad.

He faces four federal charges in the US, including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. Each count carries a potential life sentence.

The charges stem from an indictment first issued in 2020, which named Maduro and 14 members of his inner circle in a sweeping case alleging collaboration between Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrilla groups in large-scale drug trafficking.

Maduro’s defence lawyer, Barry Pollack, did not immediately seek bail but said he would later file a motion referencing what he called his client’s “military abduction”.

Flores, Venezuela’s first lady, was also taken into custody during the pre-dawn raid on Saturday, which left at least 40 people dead, including civilians and Venezuelan and Cuban security personnel.

Her attorney, Mark Donnelly, said she suffered “serious injuries” during her capture and required medical evaluation for “severe bruising” to her ribs. Flores, who appeared in court with large bandages on her forehead and temple, pleaded not guilty and declared herself “completely innocent”.

Following their arrest, Maduro and Flores were flown by helicopter to Manhattan, then escorted by heavily armed law enforcement officers in an armoured vehicle to the courthouse, where clashes erupted outside between supporters and opponents of the former president.

The extraordinary image of a 63-year-old leader of a sovereign nation appearing partially shackled in a US courtroom evoked comparisons to the trials of Panama’s Manuel Noriega in 1991 and Iraq’s Saddam Hussein in 2006.

The criminal indictment unsealed on Saturday by US attorney general Pam Bondi echoed Trump’s justification for the unilateral military action, claiming it was necessary to halt drug flows into the United States.

According to the indictment, Maduro and his alleged accomplices “for decades partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world”, relying on corrupt officials to move large quantities of cocaine into the US.

US military strikes on alleged “narco boats” in the months leading up to Saturday’s raid reportedly killed at least 110 people, prompting some legal experts to question whether the operations constituted war crimes.

Trump has also defended Maduro’s capture as a means of reclaiming what he described as “stolen” Venezuelan oil, pledging that the US would effectively “run” the country while American energy firms take control of its oil reserves.

In Venezuela, Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, told the national assembly that the US had “kidnapped” his father.

Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s deputy and newly sworn-in successor, softened her earlier defiant stance and signalled willingness to cooperate with Washington, hours after Trump warned she could face consequences “even bigger than Maduro” if she resisted.

Opposition leader and Nobel peace prize laureate María Corina Machado told Fox News she intended to return to Venezuela “as soon as possible”. She said Rodríguez was rejected by voters and claimed the opposition would win more than 90% of the vote in free elections, describing Rodríguez as a central figure in torture, corruption and narcotics trafficking.

Machado, widely regarded as Maduro’s strongest challenger, left Venezuela last month to accept the Nobel prize in Norway and has not returned. Trump dismissed the idea of working with her, saying she lacked domestic support, but Machado nonetheless praised the US operation as “a huge step for humanity, for freedom and human dignity”.

Trump’s actions triggered widespread international outrage and fears that the bombing of Caracas — which he has threatened to repeat — could extend to other countries, including Colombia, Cuba and Iran. Such a move would signal a return to “naked imperialism” in Latin America, according to historian Alan McPherson.

Tensions escalated further when Colombian president Gustavo Petro warned his country would “take up arms” if Trump followed through on threats of military action.

At the UN security council meeting, Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” about escalating instability in Venezuela, the regional consequences, and the precedent set for international relations, adding that he feared international law had not been respected.