> At a Glance
> – Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores were arraigned in a New York courtroom on Jan. 5 after U.S. troops captured them in Caracas.
> – Both pleaded “not guilty” to charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation.
> – President Donald Trump confirmed the military operation and cited control of Venezuela’s oil as a key motive.
> – Why it matters: The extraordinary extradition signals a dramatic shift in U.S.-Venezuela relations and raises questions over who now controls the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appeared in a New York federal courtroom Monday after U.S. military forces seized him and his wife from their Caracas home over the weekend, in what Trump calls a “large-scale strike” aimed at dismantling Venezuela’s leadership.
Courtroom Drama
Flanked by interpreters, Maduro, 63, told Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein he considers himself a “prisoner of war” and rejected all four counts against him:
- Narco-terrorism conspiracy
- Cocaine importation conspiracy
- Possession of machine guns and destructive devices
- Conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices
> “I am the president of Venezuela,” Maduro said through an interpreter. “I am not guilty.”
Cilia Flores, 69, faced similar charges minus the narco-terrorism count. She also pleaded “not guilty,” telling the court she is “completely innocent.”
Prosecutors allege Venezuelan leaders “abused their positions of public trust” for over 25 years, flooding the United States with cocaine. They describe Maduro as “at the forefront of that corruption.”
Trump’s Justification
In a Jan. 3 Truth Social post, President Trump confirmed the raid, accusing Maduro of narco-terrorism and warning the U.S. will “take control” of Venezuela in the interim.
Speaking later at Mar-a-Lago, Trump framed oil as a central motive:
> “We’re going to get the oil flowing the way it should be… we’re gonna make sure the people of Venezuela are taken care of.”
| Claim | Speaker |
|---|---|
| “They stole our oil” | President Trump |
| “We built that whole industry” | President Trump |
| “We’ll be selling large amounts of oil… to other countries” | President Trump |
Trump also issued a blunt warning to interim leader Delcy Rodríguez:
> “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly spoke with Rodríguez, who replied, “We’ll do whatever you need.”
Key Takeaways
- U.S. troops forcibly removed a sitting foreign head of state and delivered him to an American courtroom
- Charges focus on drug trafficking and weapons, but Trump openly cites oil as a driving factor
- Both Maduro and Flores maintain their innocence and claim prisoner-of-war status
- Washington now pressures Venezuela’s interim leadership for “total access” to natural reserves
The operation upends decades of diplomatic precedent and sets the stage for heightened tensions-and potentially new revenues-from Venezuela’s vast oil fields.
