Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro appeared in a New York court on Monday afternoon, pleading not guilty to drug trafficking charges and saying he was a “prisoner of war” after he and his wife were “kidnapped” by the U.S. military from their home in Caracas.
Maduro and Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, who is also charged in the case, has been in custody since being taken from Venezuela on Saturday following the U.S. attack on Venezuela on the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump. Flores also pleaded not guilty.
“I’m innocent. I’m not guilty of anything,” Maduro repeatedly told Judge Alvin Hellerstein through an interpreter during his appearance in federal district court in Manhattan.
“I am the first lady of the Republic of Venezuela,” Flores said.
When asked to enter a plea, Flores replied, “Not guilty. Totally innocent.”
Detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, attend an arraignment with defense attorneys Barry Pollack and Mark Donnelly to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking and money laundering at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse in Manhattan, New York City, USA on January 5, 2026. This courtroom sketch was taken on January 5, 2026.
Jane Rosenberg Reuter
Flores had a large bruise on his forehead. Her lawyer asked prison officials to provide her with treatment for injuries she sustained while in custody on Saturday, including x-rays of her ribs, which appear to be broken or severely bruised.
The couple agreed to remain in jail without bail for now, but may file a bail application in the future.
Detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at a downtown Manhattan helipad on his way to the Daniel Patrick Manhattan U.S. Courthouse for his first appearance on federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking and money laundering, January 5, 2026 in New York City, USA.
Eduardo Muñoz | Reuters
Hellerstein set the next court date in the case for March 17.
Jay Clayton, the Manhattan federal prosecutor who is prosecuting the couple, said in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Monday morning, “From where I’m sitting, myself and everyone else are completely satisfied with the prosecution.”
Defense attorney Barry Pollack represented Maduro at the hearing. Pollack previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his federal criminal case.
Mr. Pollack said during the hearing that Mr. Maduro is “the head of a sovereign nation and is entitled to the privileges of that position.” Pollack also said there were “questions about the legality of military abductions” and that there would be “huge” court filings dealing with the issue.
Flores is represented by Mark Donnelly, a former federal prosecutor in Texas.
Mr. Maduro, 63, faces federal charges of drug-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of a machine gun and a destructive device, and conspiracy to possess a machine gun and a destructive device. He had previously denied the charges.
Flores, 69, is charged with cocaine conspiracy and weapons counts.
Maduro, who the indictment describes as Venezuela’s “illegitimate ruler” because of a rigged election, is accused of collaborating with co-conspirators, drug traffickers and narco-terrorist groups to import large amounts of cocaine into the United States.
The Maduros appeared before Hellerstein around noon.
The 25-page indictment alleges that “Defendant Nicolás Maduro Moros currently sits at the head of a corrupt and illegitimate government that has used government power for decades to protect and facilitate illegal activities, including drug trafficking.”
“This chain of drug-based corruption lines the pockets of Venezuelan government officials and their families, while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and help produce, protect, and transport large amounts of cocaine to the United States,” the indictment states.
Law enforcement officials remove detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from a helicopter as Maduro heads to the Daniel Patrick Manhattan Federal Courthouse for his first appearance to face federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking and money laundering, in New York City, U.S., January 5, 2026.
Adam Gray | Reuters
The overt acts detailed in the indictment include a meeting Ms. Flores attended around 2007 in which she allegedly “accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to facilitate a meeting between a major drug trafficker and Venezuela’s National Drug Enforcement Agency Director Nestor Reverol Torres.”
“The drug traffickers then arranged to pay monthly bribes to Mr. Levelol-Torres, a portion of which were paid to Mr. Flores de Maduro, in addition to paying approximately $100,000 for each flight to ensure the safe operation of the flights transporting the cocaine,” the indictment alleges.
“Leverol Torres was charged with drug crimes in the Eastern District of New York and remains a fugitive.”
No other defendants charged in the same indictment are in U.S. custody.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and President Cilia Flores hold hands and pose for a photo after the swearing-in ceremony at the Congress Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 10, 2025.
Jesus Vargas | Getty Images News | Getty Images
These defendants are Maduro’s son, Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra. Diosdado Cabello London. Ramon Rodríguez Chacin. and Hector Rustenford Guerrero Flores.
Cabello is Venezuela’s interior minister, a position previously held by Rodriguez.
Mr. Guerrero was identified as the leader of the Venezuelan gang Torren de Aragua.
The Trump administration has questioned Maduro’s concerns at home after Trump recently pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in 2024 of colluding with drug traffickers and using his government position to help funnel hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States.
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