Venezuelan leader Maduro declares he was ‘captured’ as he makes appearance in US court
Nicolas Maduro’s message to the judge as he appears in court after his arrest
- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told a judge, “I am a decent man, the president of my country,” as he made his first court appearance in the United States Monday.
- He pleaded not guilty and told the judge “I was captured” as he was arraigned on drug trafficking charges in New York City.
- Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a dramatic middle-of-the-night military operation in Caracas early Saturday.
- Prosecutors have charged Maduro and Flores, who also pleaded not guilty, with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy, possession and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
- As Maduro and Flores were being flown to New York City, Trump announced the U.S. would manage Venezuela until a proper transition.