The Digester
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Nicolás Maduro returns to Manhattan court in narco-terrorism case

Maduro, captured in a US raid in January and pleading not guilty, is due back in a Manhattan federal court as legal fights over counsel and political shifts in Venezuela play out.

Mar 26th 2026 · Venezuela

Insights

  • Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured by US special forces on 3 January in a pre-dawn raid in Caracas that reportedly killed about 100 people.
  • Both defendants pleaded not guilty at a 5 January arraignment in Manhattan federal court.
  • Manhattan prosecutors allege Maduro led a corrupt government that protected and promoted drug trafficking and have charged him with narco-terrorism.
  • Maduro has sought dismissal, saying OFAC briefly authorized and then reversed a waiver that would have allowed Venezuela to pay his legal fees, which his lawyers say denies him counsel of choice.
  • Experts say conditions in the New York detention center where Maduro is held are dire.
  • Acting president Delcy Rodríguez has removed nearly half of Maduro’s cabinet and is courting foreign energy investment while asserting a program of economic revival.

Sources