Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro pleads not guilty to drugs charges in first US court appearance

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Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro pleads not guilty to drugs charges in first US court appearance  Maduro's lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/01/05/venezuelas-maduro-faces-first-us-court-appearance-after-capture  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug charges in his first appearance in a U.S.

00:08court in New York on Monday, just days after being captured from Caracas in a shock U.S.

00:14military operation. Maduro's wife, Celia Flores, also entered a not guilty plea on similar charges.

00:22Court records say Maduro has retained attorney Barry Joel Poyac, best known for representing

00:30WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The judge ordered both to remain behind bars and set a new hearing

00:37date of March 17. Meanwhile, protesters gathered outside the courthouse on Monday to denounce the

00:45Trump administration's actions in Venezuela. Many chanted,

00:49no boots on the ground, no bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere. A public 25-page indictment

00:57accuses Maduro and others of working with drug cartels to ship thousands of tons of cocaine into

01:03the U.S. They could face life in prison if convicted. The indictment alleges Venezuelan

01:10officials worked with the Trendyaragua gang, but a U.S. intelligence assessment published in April

01:16found no coordination with the Caracas regime. The arrest's legality has sparked a serious

01:24backlash and diplomatic crisis around the world.

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