Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared in a New York federal court on January 5, 2026, pleading not guilty to narco-terrorism and cocaine importation charges following their dramatic capture by US forces in Caracas. The heavily shackled duo faces life imprisonment if convicted, amid President Trump's warnings of further strikes and US control over Venezuela's oil resources.
Maduro, 63, defiantly claimed he was "kidnapped" during the brief hearing before Judge Alvin Hellerstein, as his legal team prepares to challenge his arrest citing head-of-state immunity a defense rejected in similar cases like Manuel Noriega's. A 25-page indictment accuses them of collaborating with cartels like Tren de Aragua to ship massive cocaine quantities into the US, plus weapons possession and ordering violence against debtors.
Trump described the Saturday raid on Maduro's fortified home as a "large-scale strike," asserting US dominance while hinting at troop deployments to "fix" Venezuela. Maduro's son Nicolás Ernesto and four others also face charges, with sanctions complicating their defense funding.
Interim leader Delcy Rodríguez demands Maduro's return while offering US dialogue, as the UN Security Council convenes on the crisis. Trump rebuffed her, threatening consequences, while Maduro alleges resource grabs behind the action post his disputed 2024 re-election.