Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Monday pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges during his first appearance in a US court, declaring himself “innocent” and claiming he was kidnapped and brought to America unlawfully. “I’m innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country,” Maduro told the judge, insisting that his arrest violated international norms. Maduro appeared in a Manhattan federal courtroom wearing a blue jail uniform, with proceedings translated into Spanish via headsets.
Armored Transfer To Manhattan Court
His wife, who was detained alongside him, was also present during the brief but mandatory hearing that formally initiated the case. The appearance followed a tightly guarded transfer from a Brooklyn detention facility early Monday. A law enforcement motorcade transported Maduro to a nearby field, where he was flown by helicopter to Manhattan before being moved in an armored vehicle to the courthouse complex. US prosecutors have charged Maduro with using drug trafficking as a tool of “narco-terrorism”, accusations that the Trump administration cited to justify his capture and transfer to New York.
