Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro appeared in a federal court in New York on January 5, 2026, to face a U.S. indictment charging him with narco‑terrorism, drug trafficking, and related offenses following his capture and transfer to the United States.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were escorted under heavy guard from a detention facility in Brooklyn to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan, where they made their first appearance before a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The appearance followed a military operation in Caracas on January 3, 2026, during which U.S. forces captured Maduro and Flores and transported them to the United States.
Maduro has since been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The charges stem from a federal indictment alleging that Maduro, Flores, and other co-defendants ran a criminal enterprise that conspired to traffic cocaine into the United States and provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied involvement in the alleged crimes.
His legal team is expected to challenge the case, including the legality of his capture and whether he is entitled to immunity as a former head of state.
U.S. authorities, however, do not recognize him as Venezuela’s legitimate president following elections widely disputed internationally.
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The indictment includes counts of narco‑terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, weapons offenses, and related conspiracies, all of which carry potential life sentences if convictions occur.
Observers note the proceedings represent a rare case of a former national leader appearing in a U.S. federal courtroom on criminal charges.
Pre-trial hearings and motions are expected to continue over the coming weeks.
Maduro remains in U.S. custody in New York as the legal process unfolds.