Opponents of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro demonstrate in Doral, Florida, on January 4, 2026. Venezuela’s deposed president Nicolas Maduro is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in New York at noon on January 5, to be formally notified about the charges against him, the court said. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized by US forces during a pre-dawn raid on January 3 in Caracas and brought to New York to face charges of “narcoterrorism” tied to alleged trafficking of tons of cocaine into the United States.
(Photo by GIORGIO VIERA / AFP) Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro arrived at a New York court on Monday, just days after being seized in Caracas in a shock US military operation that paved the path for Washington’s plans to control the oil-rich country. Maduro, 63, faces narcotrafficking charges along with his wife, Cilia Flores. The pair were forcibly taken out of Caracas in a US assault Saturday, in which commandos swooped in on helicopters, backed by fighter jets and naval forces, to capture them.
On Monday morning, Maduro was escorted by heavily armed law enforcement officers to a courthouse in New York, having been transported by helicopter and armored car. All eyes are on Venezuela’s response to the swiftly moving events, and late Sunday, interim leader Delcy Rodriguez stepped back from her initial defiance by offering to work with Trump. “We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation,” the former vice president said.
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Some 2,000 Maduro supporters, including rifle-wielding men on motorcycles, rallied Sunday in Caracas, with crowds shouting and waving Venezuelan flags. The Venezuelan military, loyal to Maduro, announced it recognized Rodriguez and urged calm. No Venezuela death toll has been announced, but Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said a “large part” of Maduro’s security team was killed “in cold blood,” as well as military personnel and civilians.
Trump said late Sunday that the United States was “in charge” of the South American nation, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that discussions of Venezuela holding elections following Maduro’s ouster were “premature.” When asked what he needs from interim leader Rodriguez, Trump said: “We need total access. We need access to the oil and other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country.”
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