Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appeared in a Manhattan federal court on Monday to plead not guilty to charges including drug trafficking, two days after being captured by US forces in a dramatic raid on his Caracas residence.
Maduro, 63, addressed the court through a Spanish interpreter, asserting, “I’m innocent. I’m not guilty. I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.” His wife, Cilia Flores, also pleaded not guilty. The judge ordered both to remain in custody and scheduled a new hearing for March 17.
The couple was seized early Saturday during a high-risk operation involving US commandos, airstrikes, and a naval deployment in Venezuela’s capital. In response, thousands marched in Caracas in support of Maduro, while former deputy Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim president.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado condemned Rodriguez, describing her as “one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption, and narcotrafficking.” Speaking to Fox News from an undisclosed location, Machado announced her intention to return to Venezuela following her departure last month to accept a Nobel Peace Prize.
Former US President Donald Trump declared that the United States would assume control of Venezuela and its significant oil reserves. In a Monday interview with NBC News, Trump dismissed the possibility of immediate elections, citing the need to “fix the country first” before voting could occur. However, US House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested elections should be held “in short order.”
Maduro, who took office in 2013 after Hugo Chávez’s death, has faced allegations of election rigging, political repression, and corruption. Venezuela’s population of roughly 30 million people now faces uncertainty amid US intervention and looming oil negotiations. Trump has indicated willingness to work with Rodriguez and members of Maduro’s former administration, conditional on compliance with US oil demands. Rodriguez has signaled openness to cooperation.
Former US diplomat Brian Naranjo, expelled from Venezuela in 2018, warned of ongoing political instability. He identified Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Jorge Rodriguez, president of Venezuela’s legislature, as potential rivals capable of challenging Delcy Rodriguez’s interim leadership.
The operation’s wider implications have raised international concern. Trump has made provocative statements regarding Cuba and Greenland, suggesting potential US influence or control, sparking debates about international law.
Reports from Havana indicate 32 Cuban nationals were killed during the raid, while US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed nearly 200 personnel participated in the operation, with some injuries reported but no US casualties.
Maduro’s court appearance and the US intervention mark a historic escalation in Venezuela’s political crisis, with far-reaching consequences for regional stability and the global oil market.
