Maduro Pleads Not Guilty in New York Court: 'I Am a Decent Man and Still President of Venezuela'

In a historic hearing that has sent shockwaves through the international community, the deposed leader of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, stood before a Manhattan judge on Monday afternoon and firmly declared his innocence. 'I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still the president of my country,' Maduro told Judge Alvin Hellerstein, according to reports from NBC News' Rebecca Cohen.

The courtroom scene was a far cry from the corridors of power in Caracas. Seated with shackled ankles and wearing translation headphones, Maduro appeared as a 'captured' leader rather than a head of state. Alongside him, his wife and former 'First Combatant', Cilia Flores, also entered a plea of not guilty to a sweeping four-count federal indictment that alleges the couple transformed Venezuela into a global hub for narco-terrorism.

The Narco-Terrorism Charges

The charges brought by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York are among the most serious ever levelled against a foreign leader. Maduro and Flores face four major counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and two counts related to the possession and use of machine guns and destructive devices.

Prosecutors allege that for over 25 years, Maduro led the 'Cartel of the Suns', a criminal organisation composed of high-ranking Venezuelan officials who partnered with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Sinaloa Cartel.

The indictment claims the group successfully flooded the United States with thousands of tonnes of cocaine, using the Venezuelan military and diplomatic cover to protect their shipments. For Cilia Flores, the charges are particularly striking, as she is accused of personally brokering million-dollar bribes to facilitate drug shipments and ordering violent reprisals against those who hindered the operation.

The Military Extradition of Nicolás Maduro

The path to the Manhattan courthouse began in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, 3 January 2026. In a daring military strike codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, US special operations forces—reportedly including Delta Force—seized Maduro and Flores from their residence in Caracas.

The couple was moved to the USS Iwo Jima before being flown to New York to face what US Attorney General Pam Bondi described as 'the full wrath of American justice'.

While Maduro and his wife remain in federal custody, the situation in Venezuela has taken a dramatic turn. US President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will 'run' the country until a safe and proper transition can be achieved.

Although Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has formally assumed the presidency in Caracas, Trump issued a chilling warning, stating she could face a 'fate worse than Maduro' if she fails to cooperate with American directives regarding the transition and access to Venezuela's vast oil reserves.

A Modern-Day Noriega?

The trial of Maduro evokes memories of the 1989 capture of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, but on a far larger and more complex scale. Unlike Noriega, Maduro has been recognised as a sitting president by major global powers like China and Russia, a fact his legal team is likely to use to argue for sovereign immunity.

As the proceedings continue, the world is watching to see how the American judicial system handles a case that sits at the volatile intersection of criminal law and international diplomacy. For now, Maduro and Flores remain held at a high-security detention centre in Brooklyn, awaiting a legal battle that could result in a mandatory minimum of 30 years—or a lifetime—behind bars.