January 6, 2026 | 07:03 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appeared in a New York court on Monday evening, stating that he and his wife were kidnapped by US forces from their home in Caracas.
"I am a prisoner of war and not guilty to drug trafficking charges," he said, as quoted by CNBC.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who are also implicated in the case, have been detained since they were abducted from Venezuela on Saturday following a US attack on the country at the order of US President Donald Trump.
"I’m innocent. I am not guilty of anything," Maduro repeatedly said through an interpreter to Judge Alvin Hellerstein during his appearance at the US District Court in Manhattan.
Flores also pleaded not guilty.
Flores stated, "I am first lady of the Republic of Venezuela. Not guilty. Completely innocent," Flores replied when asked about her defense.
Flores suffered a large bruise on her forehead. Her lawyer requested that she receive medical care from prison officers for the injuries she sustained during the arrest on Saturday, including X-rays of her ribs, believed to be broken or severely bruised.
The couple agreed to remain in jail without bail for now, but may apply for bail at a later date.
Judge Alvin Hellerstein, an Orthodox Jew and a 9/11 victims advocate, set the next hearing date for this case on March 17.
US Manhattan Attorney Jay Clayton, whose office is prosecuting the couple, said in a Monday morning interview on "Squawk Box" CNBC, "From the perspective of where I sit, my people and I are completely comfortable with this prosecution."
Julian Assange's Lawyer
Defense lawyer Barry Pollack represented Maduro in the trial. Pollack previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a federal criminal case.
Pollack stated during the trial that Maduro "is head of a sovereign state and entitled to the privilege."
Pollack also mentioned that there are "questions about the legality of his military abduction" and that there will be numerous court filings addressing the issue.
Flores was represented by Mark Donnelly, a former federal prosecutor in Texas.
Maduro, 63, is charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and explosives. He has previously denied these charges.
Flores, 69, is charged with conspiracy to commit cocaine and weapons possession.
Maduro, referred to in the indictment as Venezuela's "illegitimate ruler" due to rigged election results, is accused of conspiring with drug traffickers and narcoterrorist groups to import tons of cocaine into the United States.
Maduro and his wife appeared around noon before Hellerstein.
"Nicolas Maduro Moros, the defendant, now sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking," reads the 25-page indictment.
"This cycle of narcotics-based corruption lines the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who help produce, protect, and transport tons of cocaine to the United States," the indictment states.
Among the alleged overt acts detailed in the indictment is a meeting attended by Flores around 2007, where she allegedly "accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to broker a meeting between a large-scale drug trafficker and the director of Venezuela’s National Anti-Drug Office, Nestor Reverol Torres."
"The drug trafficker later arranged to pay a monthly bribe to Reverol Torres, in addition to approximately US$100,000 for each flight that was transporting cocaine to ensure the flight’s safe passage, a portion of which was then paid to Flores de Maduro,” the indictment alleges," the charges in the indictment state.
Read: Venezuela's Interim President Urges US Cooperation
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