NEW YORK, N.Y. — Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is scheduled to appear Monday in Manhattan federal court for arraignment on a four-count indictment accusing him of leading a 25-year narco-terrorism conspiracy that U.S. officials say helped flood the United States with cocaine.
The arraignment is set for noon before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. According to the Justice Department, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized during a covert U.S. military operation following months of planning and transferred overnight from Venezuela to U.S. custody. Images released by federal authorities show Maduro handcuffed and escorted by Drug Enforcement Administration officials after landing at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, before being moved to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
President Donald Trump confirmed the operation Saturday, describing it as part of a broader strategy to dismantle what U.S. prosecutors characterize as a state-backed narco-terrorism network. Trump also said the United States would temporarily “run” Venezuela and seek to restore oil infrastructure to export crude to global markets.
Venezuelan officials denounced the operation as an “imperialist attack” and called for street protests, while the United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting. Legal scholars have raised questions about the legality of the raid, which U.S. lawmakers say warrants congressional briefings.
The case marks one of the most aggressive U.S. actions against a sitting foreign leader since the Iraq invasion in 2003, with potential implications for international law and future cross-border prosecutions.
Sources:
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ABC News – MBFC Rating
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