Maduro and Cilia Flores Arraigned in Manhattan on Narco‑Terrorism Charges

Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores made a brief initial appearance in federal court in Manhattan on Jan. 5, 2026, entering not guilty pleas to charges in a 25‑page U.S. indictment that accuses them of narco‑terrorism, a cocaine‑importation conspiracy, money‑laundering and weapons offenses. The arraignment before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse was largely procedural, with the defendants informed of their rights and asked to enter pleas.

Maduro, 63, spoke through an interpreter and loudly asserted his innocence. He told the court, “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country.” He also told the judge, “I am president of the republic of Venezuela, and I am here, kidnapped, since Jan. 3, Saturday. I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.” The judge asked Maduro to stand and confirm his identity; Maduro replied in Spanish and listened via headphones supplied with interpretation. At one point he spoke through the interpreter and was cut off by the judge.

Both defendants appeared under heavy guard, wearing custodial clothing during transit and in the hearing. Courtroom sketches and reporting placed Maduro’s hands zip‑tied and his ankles shackled; he wore orange and beige garments and was escorted by officers in tactical gear. Defense counsel Barry Pollack and Mark Donnelly were shown with the couple during the proceeding. Flores is charged in a superseding indictment, according to the documents filed in Manhattan.

The indictment lodged in federal court details allegations that Maduro oversaw or participated in an international narcotics trafficking network tied to major criminal groups, and includes counts alleging possession of, and conspiracy to possess, machine guns and destructive devices. Prosecutors have framed the case as encompassing narco‑terrorism, narcotics conspiracies, money‑laundering and related financial offenses. The initial hearing did not address those substantive claims beyond the entry of pleas.

U.S. authorities seized Maduro and Flores in an early‑morning operation in Caracas over the preceding weekend and transferred them to federal custody. After processing in a federal detention facility, staff escorted the couple from a Brooklyn center to a helicopter bound for Manhattan for the arraignment, arriving at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport before entering federal court under heavy guard.

The extraordinary circumstances of an ousted head of state captured abroad and brought to the United States immediately pose complex legal and diplomatic questions. Legal experts anticipate protracted litigation over jurisdictional claims and assertions of head‑of‑state immunity, matters that make a near‑term trial unlikely. The seizure and arraignment have rattled world leaders and left officials in Caracas scrambling to respond, injecting new strains into already tense relations across the hemisphere.

The Jan. 5 appearance was an initial step in what observers expect will be a long legal process. Prosecutors have filed detailed indictments in Manhattan, and courts will now confront thorny issues of sovereign immunity, the legality of the overseas operation and the admissibility of evidence obtained during the seizure and transfer to U.S. custody.