Maduro Arrives in Court and Enters Plea

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro pleaded “not guilty” to federal narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges on Monday, two days after the U.S. captured him from his residence in Caracas. 

Appearing in a federal court in New York City, Maduro told the judge in Spanish through an interpreter, “I am not guilty,” adding, “I am a decent man. I am still the president of my country.” 

Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, was extradited with him and also entered a not-guilty plea in court. 

Maduro and his wife are being held in New York on federal charges that include illegal drug trafficking, money laundering, and narco-terrorism.  

“For over 25 years, leaders of Venezuela have abused their positions of public trust and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States,” the indictment against Maduro begins. The indictment was unsealed on Saturday.

Maduro helped to facilitate the movement of drugs, according to the indictment, by providing “Venezuelan diplomatic passports to drug traffickers” and facilitating “diplomatic cover for planes used by money launderers to repatriate drug proceeds from Mexico to Venezuela.” 

“Maduro has allowed cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members,” the indictment declares. 

Prior to his capture over the weekend, the Trump administration issued a warning to Maduro over his illicit actions, but Maduro did not heed the warnings, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

“Nicholas Maduro had multiple opportunities to avoid this. He was provided multiple very, very, very generous offers and chose instead to act like a wild man, chose instead to play around, and the result is what we saw tonight,” Rubio said on Saturday after U.S. forces captured the dictator in the middle of the night. 

Maduro is not currently seeking release on bail, NBC News reports, but his attorney, Barry Pollack, says he might do so at a later time. 

The next hearing in the case will be held on March 17, according to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is presiding over the trial.