Maduro’s Arraignment: Shackles, Shouts, And Immunity Battle Ahead | Video posted 01/03/25 by Nick Sortor @nicksortor, screenshot/X
Nicolás Maduro’s arraignment in Manhattan on January 5 placed the former Venezuelan leader in a U.S. courtroom to face drug trafficking charges that insiders have long alleged link his government to transnational crime.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty during their initial appearance before U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, according to The Washington Post reporters present at the hearing.
Speaking through an interpreter, Maduro told the court, “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man,” and asserted that he remains Venezuela’s legitimate president. Flores also entered a not guilty plea.
The couple appeared in custody after being captured by U.S. forces in Caracas over the weekend in what President Donald Trump described as a joint military and law enforcement operation.
Maduro reportedly wore jail-issued khaki pants and a navy-blue top over a neon-orange shirt, with orange canvas sneakers, according to courtroom observers. He was escorted in shackles and seated near his wife, both using court-provided headsets to follow the proceedings through an interpreter. The judge ordered the couple held at MDC-Brooklyn; no bail application was made, though Hellerstein said he would consider one in the future.
Maduro’s attorney, Barry Pollack, signaled that the defense may challenge the legality of Maduro’s capture and argue that he is entitled to immunity as a head of state, according to accounts of the hearing.
Judge Hellerstein told Maduro there would be time later to contest his custody.
As Maduro was led from the courtroom, a man in the gallery shouted in Spanish that he would pay “in the name of Venezuela,” prompting a brief response from Maduro, “I am the elected president. I am a prisoner of war. I will be free,” before marshals escorted him out, according to reporters in the room.
The arraignment follows months of reporting and allegations that Maduro’s government functioned as a criminal enterprise.
Previous reporting by The Dallas Express detailed claims from former Venezuelan military and intelligence officials who alleged that Maduro and senior figures oversaw a narco-terrorism network known as the Cartel de los Soles, weaponized cocaine trafficking against the United States, and exported violent gangs such as Tren de Aragua abroad.
In December, The Dallas Express published exclusive letters from two former high-ranking Venezuelan officials — ex-intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal Barrios and retired Major General Cliver Antonio Alcalá Cordones — both of whom pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court and accused the Maduro government of coordinating drug trafficking, collaborating with foreign militant groups, and using criminal networks as instruments of state power. The publication noted at the time that it had not independently verified all of the allegations contained in those letters.
U.S. officials have long accused Maduro of drug trafficking offenses, allegations he has repeatedly denied. The State Department has previously announced a multimillion-dollar reward for information leading to his arrest, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the Maduro government is not legitimate.
Maduro’s next court date is scheduled for March 17.
His arraignment marks the first time the longtime Venezuelan leader has been formally brought before a U.S. judge, a moment that could have far-reaching legal and geopolitical consequences as the case proceeds.
