NEW YORK (Kaab TV) – Nicolás Maduro, the ousted president of Venezuela, and his wife Cilia Flores appeared in a federal court in Manhattan, USA, on Monday, after being captured by U.S. forces in a widely reported operation carried out at the end of last week.
Maduro and his wife told the court that they are innocent of the charges against them.
Maduro is facing serious federal charges, including:
-
Conspiracy to traffic drugs and support terrorism
-
Conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the United States
-
Possession and conspiracy involving heavy firearms (automatic weapons)
-
Possession of destructive weapons
These charges are based on U.S. suspicions that Maduro and his associates have long been involved in an international criminal network engaged in drug trafficking and other related crimes.
During the court appearance, Maduro insisted on his innocence, stating that he is the legitimate president of Venezuela and describing his capture as a “kidnapping” carried out by U.S. forces. He also called himself a “prisoner of war.”
Both he and his wife, Cilia Flores, denied all the charges against them.