Nicolas Maduro appeared today before a federal judge in New York at a hearing that combined judicial procedure with high political voltage.
The former Venezuelan leader pleaded not guilty to all charges brought by the U.S. Prosecutor’s Office and used his first appearance before the court to reaffirm a thesis he has repeated since his capture: He claimed that he remains “the president of Venezuela” and that he is being “kidnapped” by the U.S. government. His words resonated beyond the courtroom and reignited an international controversy that shows no signs of cooling.
The hearing, held at a courthouse in southern Manhattan, was brief but laden with symbolism. Maduro appeared in federal custody, accompanied by his legal team, in a scene that would have been unthinkable just days ago. The judicial process thus begins in one of the toughest judicial systems in the world, while, in parallel, a political and diplomatic dispute unfolds that cuts across Latin America, Washington, and multilateral organizations.
Venezuela’s Maduro pleads not guilty before a judge in the US
Before the magistrate, Maduro flatly rejected the drug trafficking and conspiracy charges that have weighed against him for years in U.S. courts. In declaring his innocence, he did not go into details about the charges, but he did take the opportunity to question the legality of his detention and transfer to the United States. “I am the president of Venezuela and I am kidnapped,” he stated, according to the hearing record, a phrase that sums up the political and legal strategy his defense appears ready to deploy.
The judge read the charges to him and set the initial conditions of the proceedings, while the Prosecutor’s Office maintained that it had sufficient evidence to take the case to trial. Among them are long-running investigations into alleged drug trafficking networks and collaboration with criminal organizations. The defense, for its part, announced that it will challenge the court’s jurisdiction and question the manner in which Maduro was placed under U.S. custody.
One of the central axes of the case will be the debate over immunity. Maduro’s lawyers argue that, considering himself the sitting president, he cannot be tried by foreign courts. That position clashes with the stance of the United States, which does not recognize his legitimacy as head of state and treats him like any other defendant in a federal criminal proceeding. This clash of legal interpretations promises to become one of the most delicate points of the case.
The judicial calendar is only beginning to take shape. The judge scheduled new hearings and made it clear that the process will follow the usual timelines of federal justice, which points to a long road filled with legal motions. Meanwhile, Maduro will remain in custody, awaiting the next judicial decisions, amid intense media attention.
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 3, 2026
‘Narcoterrorism,’ the main one of the four charges against Maduro
The Department of Justice accuses Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, of “narcoterrorism” and of conspiring to bring “tons” of cocaine into the country. Both face a potential life sentence that could mean spending their final days in a U.S. prison. Julian Assange’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, notified shortly before the hearing that he would be the one to defend the Maduros.
The indictment, signed by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, groups a series of charges against Maduro, his wife, his son, and other members of the executive branch (such as Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, a strongman of the regime) for alleged ties to criminal groups such as the Sinaloa Cartel or even the now-defunct Colombian FARC and several dissident groups that emerged after 2016, when the Havana Peace Accord was signed.
It so happens that the Southern District of New York Prosecutor’s Office is the same office that charged and convicted former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH). In fact, the charges brought against Maduro are very similar to those faced by JOH, who was unexpectedly pardoned last month by Trump himself, in what critics of the decision saw as an attempt to influence the presidential elections in the Central American country, which were ultimately won by ‘Tito’ Asfura, the far-right candidate backed by the White House.
The case against Maduro and his wife could drag on for an entire year, even though the first court hearing took place in New York less than 48 hours after the detainees arrived in the U.S. On Saturday, after his arrest, Trump suggested the idea that the trial could be held in Miami. “They will eventually head to New York, and then a decision will be made, I suppose, between New York and Miami or Florida,” the U.S. leader said.