Maduro Pleads “Not Guilty” in U.S. Federal Court; Chaos Outside as Protesters Clash

January 5 2026 MANHATTAN, NEW YORK – NEW YORK — Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared Monday afternoon for their first U.S. federal court hearing in Manhattan after being captured by U.S. forces in Caracas earlier this week. Both entered not guilty pleas to multiple federal drug-related charges, including narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracies.

In a brief procedural session before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, Maduro declared himself “innocent,” “a decent man,” and insisted he is “still president of my country” as his plea was recorded. The judge set the next hearing for March 17 and ordered both defendants to remain in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Across the street from the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in Lower Manhattan, tensions boiled over as dueling groups of protesters clashed and shouted at one another throughout the afternoon.

Maduro supporters held signs demanding the U.S. “Free President Maduro,” called the U.S. action “illegal,” and condemned what they view as imperialist intervention

Opponents of Maduro — including Venezuelan exiles — counter-protested, accusing him of drug trafficking and human rights abuses, with some urging the judge to ensure he is held accountable.