Maduro, Wife Plead Not Guilty to Drug Charges
"I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here," Maduro declared before US Judge Alvin Hellerstein, according to several reports. Flores echoed his stance, telling the judge that she is "not guilty. Completely innocent."
Judge Hellerstein informed the pair of their entitlement to a consular visit, which both requested. Neither sought release on bail at this stage.
Maduro faces a four-count indictment accusing him of orchestrating a long-running narco-terrorism scheme designed to inundate the United States with cocaine.
Prosecutors allege that he collaborated with armed factions and senior officials to enable extensive cocaine trafficking, relying on state institutions to bolster the operations.
The charges were revealed after Maduro and Flores were transported to New York on Saturday, following a US military raid that resulted in their capture. They remain in federal custody at a detention center in Brooklyn.
“I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela," Maduro stated, later claiming he had been "kidnapped" by US forces.
In response to his detention, Venezuela’s Supreme Court instructed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to immediately assume the role of acting president.
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