Name: Maduro, wife plead not guilty to charges in New York
Uploaded: 2026-01-05T19:30:14.700Z
Duration: 2 min 29 s
Description: Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty Monday to federal drug trafficking and weapons charges, days after they were captured by U.S. military forces in a stunning overnight operation and brought to New York City for prosecution.

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty Monday to federal drug trafficking and weapons charges, days after they were captured by U.S. military forces in a stunning overnight operation and brought to New York City for prosecution.

Manhattan

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Nicolas Maduro, the former president of Venezuela, and his wife, Celia Flores, have pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism, conspiracy, and conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons in a Manhattan courtroom. Their arraignment followed a secret U.S. military operation that led to their capture in Caracas, Venezuela, and subsequent extradition to the United States.

Both Maduro and Flores appeared in court with translators and did not seek release from detention. If convicted, Maduro faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. The proceedings were overseen by Judge Hallerstein, who has presided over other high-profile cases.

Maduro, wife plead not guilty to charges in New York

Welcome back to CBS News 24 7 where we continue breaking news coverage. Right now you are looking at a helicopter shot where we expect in moments ahead to see the armored vehicle carrying ousted Venezuelan president and widely thought to be a dictator, Nicolas Maduro. He has left the courtroom after his arraignment and now will be taken back to custody to await what is next for him. Today in court, we heard him say not guilty. That was the plea from the ousted Venezuelan leader. Also the same echo from his wife, Celia Flores, a very dramatic arraignment playing out in that new york city courtroom last hour. They did it through a translator. This comes after a top secret U. S. Military operation over the weekend caught the man widely thought once again to be a dictator. He is now out of power and the person who was second in command is now in charge. The vice president there, at least for now, as President trump says to the american media, we, the United States are running things in Venezuela. So let's run over the charges right now. Maduro faces charges of narco terrorism, conspiracy and conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. CBS News legal reporter Katrina Kaufman is live outside that courthouse in new york city. Katrina, you were inside the room where Maduro stood for his arraignment. Tell us your impressions and what you saw. So Maduro was in court with his wife, Celia Flores. He was very vocal actually. When the judge first asked him to stand up and identify himself, Maduro launched into a speech in spanish. The judge ultimately said he just wanted to make sure that this was in fact Maduro. But we did get a couple lines of what he said. He said, I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela, Venezuela. Um, and that he ultimately said this was the first time he was seeing his indictment, but he wanted to read it personally on his own, not in that courtroom. They are also both not seeking to get out of detention at this time. That's something that they might revisit later. He was taking copious notes though. Each of them had headphones on because there was a translator in their ear translating everything that was going on in that room. Um, he looked very serious, maybe a bit frustrated at times to even be there at all. But it was a very respectful exchange between Maduro and the judge Hallerstein, who has presided over many big matters, including some involving President Donald Trump.

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Maduro, wife plead not guilty to charges in New York

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