Maduro, 63, was shackled and accompanied by a
number of heavily armed law enforcement officers. He was flown by
helicopter to New York, where he was placed in an armored car. According
to Philip Turle, this images are part of the US's spectacle to display
its power.
Live updates: Maduro pleads not guilty in US court appearance
Follow the news on Venezuela and the United States | Jan. 5, 2026
UN Security Council holds emergency meeting on US operations in Venezuela
Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is making his first appearance Monday in an American courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and bringing him to New York.
When asked by the judge for his plea, Maduro responded: “I’m innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country.”
Maduro and his wife were led into court around noon for a brief, but required, legal proceeding that will likely kick off a prolonged legal fight over whether he can be put on trial in the U.S.
His lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of a foreign state. But the U.S. doesn’t recognize him as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
Maduro, along with his wife, son and three others, is accused of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. They could face life in prison if convicted.
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