Maduro brought to U.S courthouse for first appearance on drug trafficking charges
Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is scheduled to make his first appearance Monday in a U.S. courtroom on narco-terrorism charges, the basis the Trump administration cited for capturing him and bringing him to New York.
Maduro and his wife are expected to appear at noon before a judge for a brief procedural hearing that could mark the start of a lengthy legal battle over whether he can face trial in the United States. The couple was transported early Monday under armed guard from their Brooklyn jail to a Manhattan courthouse.
The journey was swift. A motorcade departed the jail around 7:15 a.m., taking Maduro to a nearby field where he boarded a helicopter. The chopper crossed New York Harbor and landed at a Manhattan heliport, from which Maduro, limping, was transferred to an armored vehicle and brought inside a courthouse garage. Outside, law enforcement separated small groups of protesters, including pro-U.S. intervention demonstrators and Venezuelan flag carriers, as tensions quietly simmered.
As a defendant in the U.S. legal system, Maduro will have the same rights as any criminal defendant, including a jury trial composed of local residents. Still, his case is unusual: his lawyers are expected to argue he is immune from prosecution as a sitting head of state, a defense that historically has rarely succeeded.
The U.S. does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader following a contested 2024 election. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed control after his capture, has demanded his return but has also signaled willingness to collaborate with the Trump administration and foster “respectful relations” with the United States.
Maduro and his allies have long claimed U.S. hostility is driven by interest in Venezuela’s oil and mineral wealth. The U.S. captured him and his wife Saturday at a military base, with Trump suggesting the operation could temporarily extend American influence in the region. Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that the U.S. would not govern Venezuela day-to-day but would enforce an oil embargo. Trump also called on Rodríguez to provide “total access” to her country or face consequences.
The 25-page indictment, made public Saturday, alleges Maduro and his associates coordinated with drug cartels to smuggle thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. If convicted, they could face life in prison. The charges also accuse Maduro and his wife of ordering kidnappings, assaults, and killings linked to drug trafficking, as well as accepting bribes to facilitate meetings between traffickers and Venezuelan officials.
It remains unclear whether Maduro has retained a U.S. attorney. He, his wife Cilia Flores, and other senior Venezuelan officials are under longstanding U.S. sanctions, making financial dealings with Americans illegal without Treasury Department approval. While the indictment ties Maduro to Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua gang, a U.S. intelligence assessment published last April found no evidence of direct coordination between the gang and the Venezuelan government.
Maduro’s son remains free, while other co-defendants, including current and former interior and justice ministers and an alleged gang leader, face criminal charges and some remain at large. Monday’s hearing is expected to be short but will formally begin what could become a protracted legal fight over his prosecution in the United States.
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