Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, together with his wife Cilia Flores, was brought on Monday to a federal court in Manhattan. Sky News reported this. They face serious charges related to supplying narcotics into the United States.
At the preliminary hearing, Nicolas Maduro firmly denied all charges against him. His wife Cilia Flores also said she would not plead guilty. The couple was reportedly transported to the courthouse under heavy guard from a federal detention facility in Brooklyn, several hours before the hearing began.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. According to the BBC, the first hearing was largely procedural, with the charges formally read out.
Investigators allege that Maduro had ties to international drug cartels and took part in coordinating large cocaine shipments to the United States. If convicted, he could face a life sentence.
The former president’s lawyers, however, are questioning the legality of his arrest. They argue that Maduro, as the leader of a sovereign state, had international immunity and that this should be considered separately during the proceedings.
According to reports, Maduro and Flores were arrested late Friday night in Caracas during a special operation carried out by U.S. forces. They were then flown to New York on a special flight. An FBI aircraft landed at a National Guard base in New York State, after which the couple was taken by convoy first to a drug enforcement agency and then placed in a federal detention facility in Brooklyn.
The incident has sparked major controversy on the international political stage, and debate around the case is expected to intensify in the coming days.
