Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured over the weekend in a U.S. military operation, has pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges.
"I'm innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country," Maduro told the judge.
He entered the plea Monday during a court appearance in a Manhattan federal courthouse. According to the Associated Press, Maduro is being represented by Washington, D.C.-based lawyer Barry J. Pollack, who is known for securing the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from prison and winning an acquittal for ex-Enron accountant Michael Krautz.
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Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured Saturday at their home in Caracas during an overnight operation carried out by U.S. special forces. The couple was then promptly flown to New York City to face charges.
Maduro had previously been indicted in 2020 for drug-related charges. At the time, the U.S. had offered up to a $15 million reward for Maduro's arrest. That amount has since been increased to $50 million.
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Meanwhile, Lawmakers returning to the U.S. Capitol this week are asking what is next for Maduro, Venezuela and its people. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is “in charge” of the country, but it remains unclear what that means.
In a joint statement Sunday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the operation to apprehend Maduro “required months of coordination, detailed planning, and seamless execution across multiple components of the federal government.”
“The mission was conducted to support an ongoing criminal prosecution tied to large-scale narcotics trafficking and related offenses that have fueled violence, destabilized the region, and contributed directly to the drug crisis claiming American lives,” Bondi added.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, now serving as acting president, has called the arrest of Maduro “barbaric” and demanded his immediate release. President Trump issued a warning to Rodriguez in a recent interview with The Atlantic.
“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” he said.
Democratic lawmakers are questioning the president's remarks that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela, raising concerns about potential costs to American taxpayers and whether a long-term U.S. military presence is planned in the country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended Maduro's capture, but said the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela and rejected the notion that the U.S. plans to take over the country.
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"Here's the bottom line on it: we expect to see changes in Venezuela," Rubio said in a weekend interview. "Changes of all kinds — long-term and short-term — we'd love to see all kinds of changes. But the most immediate changes are the ones that are in the national interest of the United States. That's why we're involved here — because of how it applies and has a direct impact on the United States."
Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are among the officials expected to provide a classified briefing on the matter to lawmakers Monday evening.
