Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro back to court for pretrial hearing in his US drug trafficking case
Summary
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are in a Brooklyn jail after being captured by U.S. forces in a raid in Venezuela. They face drug trafficking charges linked to a plan to send cocaine into the United States but deny the accusations and are challenging the legality of their capture in court.Key Facts
- Nicolás Maduro and his wife have been held in a Brooklyn jail since they were taken from their home in Venezuela by U.S. forces in January 2024.
- They are charged with conspiracy to ship large amounts of cocaine into the U.S. and have pleaded not guilty.
- The U.S. government calls the operation to capture them a “surgical law enforcement operation.”
- Maduro and his defense team claim his capture was an illegal “military abduction.”
- Prosecutors say Maduro worked with Venezuelan law enforcement to help drug traffickers move cocaine into the U.S.
- Maduro says he is the legitimate president of Venezuela and denies all charges.
- The couple has not sought bail, and no trial date has been set yet.
- The court will first address legal questions before the trial can start.
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