By El Latino Newsroom
Redaccion@latinocc.com
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appeared in a Manhattan federal courtroom on Monday, defiantly declaring his innocence and describing himself as a “kidnapped president” during his first court appearance since being seized in a surprise U.S. military operation over the weekend.
The 63-year-old leader, along with his wife, Cilia Flores, was taken into custody early Saturday in Caracas as part of what the Trump administration has called “Operation Absolute Resolve,” a high-risk mission that marks a historic prosecution of a foreign head of state by the United States.
“I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country,” Maduro said in Spanish, using a court interpreter during his arraignment on federal drug trafficking charges.
The judge cut him off at one point, urging restraint and stating there would be time later to contest the legality of his capture.
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, 92, presided over the hearing. When asked to confirm his identity, Maduro leaned into the microphone and responded: “I am Nicolás Maduro Moros.”
Both Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty. They face charges stemming from a sweeping 25-page indictment that alleges they conspired with drug cartels to smuggle massive quantities of cocaine into the United States. If convicted, they could face life in prison.
INTERNATIONAL CONSEQUENCES
The case marks a pivotal moment in U.S.-Venezuela relations. While the U.S. has long refused to recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, this prosecution represents a rare attempt to hold a sitting head of state criminally accountable on U.S. soil.
Security was tight Monday as Maduro was transferred by helicopter from a Brooklyn detention facility to the courthouse in lower Manhattan.
Dressed in jail-issued clothing and wearing leg shackles, both Maduro and Flores listened to the proceedings through Spanish-language headsets.
Flores appeared with visible injuries on her forehead and temple, which her attorney, Mark Donnelly, attributed to excessive force during the arrest.
In court, Maduro’s attorney, Barry Pollack, said he plans to challenge the legality of his client’s “military abduction,” noting that Maduro is “head of a sovereign state” and should be entitled to diplomatic immunity.
“This is not just a legal matter, it’s a geopolitical moment,” Pollack said. “We will be pursuing all legal avenues, including the assertion of sovereign immunity.”
SIMILAR CASES ECHO IN U.S. LEGAL HISTORY
Maduro’s claim echoes that of former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, who unsuccessfully tried to invoke head-of-state immunity after being forcibly brought to the U.S. in 1990. In that case, the courts ruled that U.S. law does not recognize such immunity when the person is no longer viewed as a legitimate leader by Washington.
While the U.S. maintains Maduro’s 2024 re-election was illegitimate, questions surrounding the constitutionality of the operation remain at the heart of the case.
The judge, while acknowledging Maduro’s complaints, kept the focus on legal procedures. “There will be a time and place to go into all of this,” Hellerstein said, referring to future hearings that may address the legality of the capture.
COURTROOM TENSION
The courtroom atmosphere turned tense as proceedings wrapped up. As Maduro was escorted out, a man in the gallery, later identified as Pedro Rojas, 33, a former political prisoner in Venezuela, stood and condemned him in Spanish.
“I was tortured under your regime,” he said.
Maduro looked back and replied in Spanish, “I am a kidnapped president. I am a prisoner of war.”
Outside the courthouse, demonstrators gathered on both sides of the debate.
Some condemned the U.S. operation as illegal overreach, while others applauded the arrest and demanded justice for human rights abuses under Maduro’s rule.
Accusations of Violence and Drug Ties
According to the indictment, Maduro and Flores allegedly used their positions of power to facilitate cocaine shipments and ordered violent reprisals against rivals.
The charges include murder, kidnapping, and corruption in connection with drug trafficking operations allegedly run in tandem with the Colombian rebel group FARC.
The document cites the execution of a local cartel leader in Caracas and multiple cases of brutal enforcement against those who owed money or threatened the flow of narcotics.
U.S. prosecutors allege that the regime profited by turning Venezuela into a key corridor for trafficking drugs into North America, undermining regional stability and public health.
The Political Fallout
The Biden administration and now led by returning President Donald Trump, has remained steadfast in defending the operation.
Trump, speaking from Florida, declared that the U.S. would “run Venezuela” temporarily and oversee a transition.
“We’re going to fix it,” he told reporters Sunday night, emphasizing that Maduro’s removal would free up Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. “This is about liberation and security — not just for Venezuela, but for the hemisphere.”
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a more cautious tone in Sunday media interviews, noting that the U.S. has no plans to govern Venezuela day-to-day beyond enforcing sanctions and oil restrictions.
Venezuela’s Response
In Caracas, Venezuela’s new interim leader Delcy Rodríguez — previously Maduro’s vice president — was sworn in Monday by her brother, National Assembly leader Jorge Rodríguez. She immediately demanded Maduro’s return but later posted a conciliatory message on social media, expressing hope for “respectful relations” with Washington.
“The Republic will defend its sovereignty,” she wrote. “We demand justice, but we also invite dialogue.”
Before his arrest, Maduro frequently accused the United States of trying to exploit Venezuela’s mineral wealth under the guise of democracy promotion. With oil production crippled by years of mismanagement and sanctions, analysts say it remains unclear how quickly output could ramp up even under new leadership.
Oil prices rose 1.7% on Monday amid market speculation over Venezuela’s future production capabilities.
Maduro and Flores remain in federal custody. The judge set the next hearing for later this month, at which time legal arguments regarding the legitimacy of the arrest and pre-trial motions are expected.
The U.S. government has not confirmed whether other members of Maduro’s inner circle are being targeted.
For now, the spotlight remains squarely on a courtroom in lower Manhattan — where a former head of state will face the U.S. justice system as an ordinary defendant, while his country grapples with the fallout of his dramatic removal.
