Reuters. Toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty on Monday (January 5) to narcotics charges after President Donald Trump's stunning capture of him rattled world leaders and left officials in Caracas scrambling to respond.
Maduro, 63, pleaded innocent in New York federal court to four criminal counts: narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.
"I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country," Maduro said through an interpreter, before being cut off by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.
Maduro's wife Cilia Flores also pleaded not guilty. The next court date was set for March 17. Dozens of protesters, both pro- and anti-Maduro, gathered outside the courthouse before the half-hour hearing.
Maduro is accused of overseeing a cocaine-trafficking network that partnered with violent groups including Mexico’s Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombian FARC rebels and Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang.
Maduro has long denied the allegations, saying they were a mask for imperialist designs on Venezuela's rich oil reserves.
Trump has made no secret of wanting to share in Venezuela's oil riches. U.S. oil companies' shares jumped on Monday, fueled by the prospect of access to its vast reserves.
On Monday morning, Maduro - his hands zip-tied - and his wife were escorted by armed guards in tactical gear from a Brooklyn detention center to a helicopter bound for the Manhattan federal court.
The judge began the hearing at 12:02 p.m. (1702 GMT) by summarizing the charges in the indictment. Maduro, in orange and beige prison garb, listened on headphones through an interpreter.
Hellerstein asked Maduro to stand and confirm his identity. He replied in Spanish.
The judge told the couple of their right to inform the Venezuelan consulate of their arrests.
Prosecutors say Maduro has been involved in drug trafficking from the time he began serving in Venezuela's National Assembly in 2000 to his tenure as foreign minister and subsequent 2013 election as the late president Hugo Chavez's successor.
Maduro lawyer Barry Pollack said he anticipated voluminous and complex litigation over what he called his client's "military abduction." He said Maduro was not requesting his release but may later.
Flores's lawyer, Mark Donnelly, said she sustained significant injuries including severe bruising on her ribs and asked that she be provided X-rays and a physical evaluation.
Federal prosecutors in New York first indicted Maduro in 2020 as part of a long-running narcotics trafficking case against current and former Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrillas. An updated indictment made public on Saturday added some new details and co-defendants, including Cilia Flores.
The U.S. has considered Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of massive irregularities.
Experts in international law have questioned the legality of the raid, with some condemning Trump's actions as a repudiation of a rules-based international order.
