Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was arraigned in federal court in Manhattan, New York, accompanied by his wife, Cilia Flores. Maduro faces several serious charges, including terrorism and drug trafficking.
Both were brought to a Manhattan court from a Brooklyn jail amid tight security. Earlier on Saturday, the US military had detained Maduro and his wife from their residence in a military operation. On the same day, US investigative agencies made public a 25-page indictment, in which Maduro and his associates have been accused of conspiring with international drug gangs to smuggle thousands of tons of cocaine into the US.
According to the indictment, this alleged network was active for a long time and its purpose was to generate illegal income through drug trafficking. The documents also claim that Cilia Flores accepted millions of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between a major drug trafficker and the then-director of Venezuela’s National Anti-Darcotics Office.
US prosecutors say the allegations are not limited to criminal activity but also involve national and international security. Therefore, the case has been classified as “narco-terrorism.”
The charges were read aloud during a preliminary hearing in Manhattan federal court, while the defense did not present detailed arguments. The court cited security concerns in setting a date for the next hearing.
This case is also considered extremely sensitive from the point of view of international politics and diplomacy, because for the first time a sitting President has been presented in the US federal court on such charges.