From NBC News: Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores are set to make their first court appearances in New York City, two days after the U.S. captured them in a surprise attack.
Maduro and Flores are charged in the U.S. with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons offenses.
Maduro has appeared in handcuffs as he was escorted out of the Metro Detention Center in Brooklyn where he was being held.
Maduro is due to appear in a New York City court later today.
During the hearing, set for noon ET, Maduro will be formally informed of the charges against him. He faces four charges: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns, and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
“For over 25 years, leaders of Venezuela have abused their positions of public trust and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States,” federal prosecutors wrote in an indictment released over the weekend.
Maduro’s wife, Flores, is also due in court Monday, facing charges as a high-level official in Venezuela’s thug regime.
Fox News reports that the couple faces “a ‘worst-case scenario’ as a married couple entrenched in Venezuelan politics and now detained in the U.S. ahead of their Jan. 5 arraignment, according to a national security expert.”
From Fox:
Maduro and Flores, who have been married for 12 years, were arrested in Caracas during a nighttime operation on Jan. 3 and transported to U.S. custody, where federal prosecutors have brought criminal charges against both, officials said.
“This is a worst-case scenario for them, not being in power but in custody of the U.S. government,” Roxanna Vigil told Fox News Digital.
“They are husband and wife, but there is also the political component because their political futures are tied together as well,” the Council on Foreign Relations fellow added.
BREAKING: Nicolás Maduro seen being transported to New York City court for his arraignment days after American forces captured him in his own presidential palace. pic.twitter.com/eOHcUNoND9
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 5, 2026
BREAKING: Nicolás Maduro surrounded by heavy security as he is transported to New York City court ahead of his arraignment. pic.twitter.com/2EqrMrNKxe
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 5, 2026
Read more at NBC News
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