Maduro denies drug charges, calls himself ‘decent man’ in US court

Toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stood defiant in a New York federal court on January 5 pleading not guilty to serious drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges days after his dramatic capture from the presidential palace in Caracas sent shockwaves across the globe.

Addressing the judge for the first time, Maduro declared, “I was captured. I am a decent man, the president of my country.” When pressed again, he firmly stated, “I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here,” insisting he remains Venezuela’s rightful leader despite the U.S. accusations.

Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, who was also brought to the US amid the unprecedented raid, echoed his stance. Speaking through an interpreter, she asserted her position as Venezuela’s first lady and pleaded not guilty, claiming to be “completely innocent” of the charges leveled against her.

The 63-year-old former president now faces four grave accusations, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. US authorities allege Maduro orchestrated cocaine trafficking operations with notorious criminal groups such as Mexico’s Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombia’s FARC rebels, and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang.

For years, Maduro has vehemently denied these allegations, dismissing them as a politically motivated attempt by the US to seize control of Venezuela’s vast oil resources. His defense argues the prosecution is part of a broader campaign to undermine his leadership since his contested 2018 re-election, widely criticized for electoral fraud.

The US government has branded Maduro an illegitimate dictator, expanding the indictment since 2020 to include his wife and several co-defendants. Prosecutors trace his alleged criminal activities back to his time in Venezuela’s National Assembly in 2000, continuing through his tenure as foreign minister and president after Hugo Chávez’s death in 2013.

The capture ignited fierce domestic backlash, with Venezuela issuing emergency orders to detain anyone supporting the US operation. Internationally, the United Nations Security Council convened to debate the legality and consequences of the raid. Russia, China, and leftist allies condemned the US intervention, while Secretary-General António Guterres voiced concerns about destabilizing Venezuela and questioned the legitimacy of the military action — the most significant US move in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion.

On January 5 morning, Maduro and Flores were escorted from a Brooklyn detention center by heavily armed guards, transported by helicopter to the courthouse as the world watched the unfolding legal and geopolitical drama. Venezuelan officials now scramble to contain the fallout from a case that could reshape the region’s future.