Maduro and His Wife Plead Not Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court

Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan leader seized by U.S. forces two days earlier, pleaded not guilty Monday to drug trafficking and weapons charges in a federal courtroom in Manhattan. His wife, Cilia Flores, also pleaded not guilty. Judge Alvin Hellerstein, a senior judge, set the next hearing for March 17 at 11 a.m., NBC News reported.

Maduro faces a narco-terrorism conspiracy charge. He and Flores are both charged with cocaine importation conspiracy and with weapons counts, which NBC described as involving machine guns and destructive devices. The superseding indictment, unsealed Saturday, accuses them and others of taking part in a scheme to bring large quantities of cocaine into the United States.

In the courtroom, Maduro said “I am still the president of my country,” NBC reported. He told the court he was “kidnapped” and called himself a “prisoner of war.” Fox News quoted him saying, “I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is written here.” Hellerstein repeatedly cut Maduro off when he tried to speak, according to Fox. NBC reported that Flores called herself the first lady.

Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, a Washington-based attorney who once represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, plans to challenge the legality of the arrest, which he has called a “military abduction,” according to Fox News. Fox reported that he may also argue that Maduro is immune from prosecution as a former foreign head of state. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that the U.S. had offered Maduro a way out and that he refused, CBS News reported. NBC said Flores is represented by Texas attorney Mark Donnelly.

Pollack told the court the defense is not seeking release now but may apply for bail later, NBC reported. Flores’s lawyer said she has severe bruising of the ribs and needs medical attention, and Pollack said Maduro also has health issues. Both asked for a consular visit, NBC said.

Whether the manner of the capture affects the prosecution is the central legal question the defense has signaled it will raise. The government’s position, as laid out in the indictment and in Rubio’s and Trump’s statements, is that Maduro is a defendant in an ordinary drug case. Neither side’s arguments were decided Monday.

In Caracas, Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim president, NBC reported. Trump said the United States is “in charge” and warned her to cooperate, and he said Venezuela will not hold elections within 30 days because the country must first be repaired, according to NBC. The criminal case will not return to court until March, but the questions about who governs Venezuela and for how long are being answered much sooner.