Ousted Venezuelan chief Nicolas Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, are scheduled to make their preliminary appearances on Monday in a federal court docket in Manhattan following their seize by U.S. forces in a navy operation within the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.
The couple is anticipated to look in entrance of Decide Alvin Hellerstein at 12 p.m. ET. Each are presently being held in federal custody at MDC-Brooklyn.
Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives on the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads in the direction of the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an preliminary look to face U.S. federal fees together with narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, cash laundering and others in New York Metropolis, January 5, 2026.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted, as he heads to an preliminary court docket look to face U.S. federal fees together with narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, cash laundering and others in New York Metropolis, January 5, 2026.
Adam Grey/Reuters
It isn’t but clear whether or not Maduro and Flores had retained authorized counsel forward of their arraignments. Maduro has lengthy denied all of the allegations.
Maduro and Flores are amongst six defendants named in a four-count superseding indictment that accused them of conspiring with violent, harmful drug traffickers for the final 25 years.
Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives on the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads in the direction of the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an preliminary look to face U.S. federal fees together with narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, cash laundering and others in New York Metropolis, January 5, 2026.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Maduro’s son, two high-ranking Venezuelan officers and an alleged chief of the Tren de Aragua felony gang are the opposite defendants.
U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned on Saturday that the U.S. “efficiently carried out a large-scale strike in opposition to Venezuela” wherein Maduro and Flores have been “captured and flown out of the Nation.”
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro is escorted by U.S. Drug Enforcement Brokers after arriving in New York Metropolis, January 3, 2026.
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Trump mentioned the operation was carried out along with U.S. legislation enforcement. Members of Congress mentioned the navy, which sources mentioned included the elite Delta Pressure, was in place to assist that legislation enforcement operation.
In a transfer that alarmed some observers, Trump, who campaigned on “America First” and in opposition to overseas entanglements, mentioned throughout a press convention at Mar-a-Lago the U.S. would “run” Venezuela for an unspecified “time frame.”
This seize taken on Jan. 3, 2026, from UGC footage launched by Jose Abreu in his X account @Jabreu89, exhibits smoke billowing over Caracas after a sequence of explosions a part of a US navy operation that led to the seize of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
@Jabreu89/X by way of AFP by way of Getty Photographs
He mentioned a staff comprised of a few of his Cupboard officers together with an area staff in Venezuela can be “working the nation” as a result of there may be “no person to take over.”
“We’ll run it correctly. We’ll run it professionally. We’ll have the best oil firms on the earth go in and make investments billions and billions of {dollars} and take out cash, use that cash in Venezuela, and the largest beneficiary are going to be the folks of Venezuela,” Trump mentioned.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim chief to steer the nation after what the Venezuelan Supreme Courtroom described as Maduro’s “kidnapping.”
Rodriguez demanded Maduro’s return and vowed to defend Venezuela in opposition to American aggression.
View of a broken constructing in Catia La Mar, La Guaira State, Venezuela, January 4, 2026, a day after Venezuela’s chief Nicolas Maduro was captured in a US strike.
Federico Parra/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
On Sunday, Rodriguez posted an announcement to social media wherein she appeared to melt her tone, inviting “the U.S. authorities to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented in the direction of shared growth inside the framework of worldwide legislation to strengthen lasting group coexistence.”
Trump instructed reporters on Sunday that the U.S. is “in cost” of Venezuela.
The president mentioned he had not but spoken to Rodriguez. Requested if he wished to, Trump mentioned, “On the proper time, I’ll.”
ABC Information’ Meghan Mistry and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
