Venezuelan Ousted President Maduro Pleads Not Guilty To Charges In US

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro turned his first appearance in a New York courtroom into a declaration of political legitimacy, insisting he remains the country’s president even as he faces sweeping criminal charges in the United States.

Appearing before the court on drug trafficking and related allegations, Maduro rejected the accusations  “I am still president,” he declared, before entering a formal plea of not guilty to all charges against him.

According to the BBC, Maduro maintained his innocence in emphatic terms, saying, “I’m innocent. I’m not guilty. I’m a decent man, the president of my country,” through an interpreter.

The indictment against him lists four counts, including narco-terrorism conspiracy as well as possession of machine guns and destructive devices, marking one of the most serious criminal cases ever brought against a sitting foreign leader in a U.S. court.

Outside the courthouse, the legal drama unfolded alongside a political spectacle. Protesters gathered, chanting slogans while waving Venezuelan flags and holding placards, transforming the courthouse steps into a flashpoint for competing narratives about power, sovereignty and accountability.

Maduro was not alone in the dock. His wife, Cilia Flores, who was seized alongside him over the weekend, also pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and weapons charges, aligning her defense with that of her husband.

By using the courtroom to reassert his presidency, Maduro appeared to cast the trial not merely as a legal battle but as a symbolic struggle over who holds authority to judge him. As proceedings move forward, the case is set to test the reach of U.S. justice while amplifying the political tensions that have long surrounded Venezuela’s embattled leadership.

The New York Times also reports him as saying he was kidnapped.

Earlier on Saturday, SaharaReporters reported that the United States Attorney General, Pamela Bondi,  announced the indictment of Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, in multiple criminal charges.

The US had earlier launched airstrikes against Venezuela and captured the country’s President Maduro alongside his wife, Flores.

Announcing the operation in a post on his social media platform on Saturday, US President Donald Trump had said the military action was carried out in conjunction with the US Law Enforcement.

In a statement shared on X on Saturday, Bondi said the indictment was filed at the Southern District of New York, accusing the Venezuelan leader and his wife of involvement in alleged international drug trafficking and weapons offences.

“Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York,” she stated.

According to the Attorney General, “Nicholas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.”

Bondi said the suspects would be tried in the United States, stressing that they would soon face the full wrath of justice.

“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” she added.