Maduro's Not Guilty Plea in NYC Court and the Global Shockwaves from US Capture
Venezuela's ousted leader Nicolás Maduro and his spouse Cilia Flores entered not guilty pleas on Monday to grave charges of narco-terrorism, narcotics smuggling, and possession of automatic weapons and explosives during their initial appearance in Manhattan federal court, mere days after a high-stakes US raid snatched them from Caracas.
When 92-year-old Judge Alvin Hellerstein solicited his response, Maduro proclaimed, "I'm innocent, not guilty. I served honorably as my nation's president." The judge promptly entered the plea on record. Facing potential life sentences, Maduro is counseled by Barry Pollack—the lawyer who freed WikiLeaks' Julian Assange in 2024—while Flores relies on Texas attorney Mark Donnelly.
The High-Octane Raid and Worldwide Repercussions
Dubbed "Operation Absolute Resolve," the Saturday dawn assault mobilized over 150 aircraft, resulting in 32 Cuban guards killed and the pair's swift transport to Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. A 25-page indictment accuses them of two decades of "corrupting public offices to flood the US with tons of cocaine," building on 2020 charges from New York prosecutors.
UN chief António Guterres decried the mission as a "perilous breach of international norms." Colombia prompted an urgent UN Security Council session, where Russia and China issued fierce condemnations. President Donald Trump asserted US oversight of Venezuela "until a legitimate handover," though legal scholars question its validity.
The defense plans to invoke head-of-state immunity, but precedents like Panama's Manuel Noriega in 1990 suggest slim odds of success.
