Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are set to appear in a federal Manhattan court on Monday, as confirmed by a court spokesperson. The hearing is scheduled for Noon local time (17:00 GMT), according to reports from CBS News.
A federal indictment has been unsealed accusing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, his wife, and four others of narco-terrorism conspiracy and other charges. US Attorney General Pam Bondi posted the indictment online after the couple’s capture. The charges include narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons.
Maduro and Flores are currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was briefed on their capture and upcoming imprisonment in federal custody in the city.
Their capture occurred during a US military operation that resulted in the deaths of around 40 individuals, including civilians and military personnel, according to a senior Venezuelan official. The elite Delta Force soldiers seized Maduro and Flores while they were sleeping in a heavily fortified residence within a military base.
The pair was taken from their bedroom and transported via a US military helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel in the Caribbean, before being flown to the US and arriving last night. Upon landing at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Orange County, New York, a group of individuals, resembling law enforcement officers, escorted a figure believed to be Maduro from the aircraft.
Meanwhile, Delcy Rodriguez, the former vice president now acting president of Venezuela, criticized the US and condemned Maduro’s arrest as a violation of international law. She demanded his immediate release and urged unity among the peoples against such actions. Rodriguez made these statements during a National Defense Council session following the US military operation.