NEW YORK, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is set to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday to face narco-terrorism charges, days after his capture by the U.S. military sparked deep uncertainty about the oil-rich South American nation’s future.
Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been jailed in Brooklyn after U.S. forces seized them from Caracas in a surprise weekend raid.
They are both set to appear at the hearing scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 GMT ) before U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein. It is unclear if either had obtained lawyers, or if they would enter pleas.
The U.S. has deemed Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of massive irregularities. His capture marks Washington’s most controversial intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago.
Prosecutors say Maduro is the kingpin of a cartel of Venezuelan political and military officials who have conspired for decades with drug trafficking groups and U.S.-designated terrorist organizations to flood the U.S. with thousands of tons of cocaine.
Maduro was first indicted in 2020 as part of a long-running narcotics trafficking case against current and former Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrillas.
In a new indictment unsealed Saturday, prosecutors allege that Maduro personally oversaw a state-sponsored cocaine trafficking network that partnered with some of the world’s most violent and prolific drug trafficking groups, including Mexico’s Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, the Colombian paramilitary group FARC and the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
“As Venezuela’s President and now de-facto ruler, Maduro allows cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members,” according to the indictment filed by prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York.
Maduro is charged with narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. He faces decades to life in prison on each count if convicted.
Prosecutors say Maduro has been involved in drug trafficking from the time of his election to Venezuela’s National Assembly in 2000 to his tenure as foreign minister from 2006 to 2013 and ever since his selection as the late president Hugo Chavez’s successor in 2013.
The indictment says that while serving as foreign minister, Maduro sold diplomatic passports to known drug traffickers and personally arranged diplomatic cover for flights transporting drug proceeds from Mexico to Venezuela.
From 2004 to 2015, prosecutors say Maduro and his wife used state-sponsored criminal gangs to traffic cocaine that had been seized by Venezuelan authorities and ordered kidnappings, beatings and murders to protect their operations and collect debts.
Prosecutors say that as president, Maduro directed cocaine trafficking routes, used the military to protect shipments, sheltered violent trafficking groups and used presidential facilities to move drugs.
The indictment cites an example from months after Maduro’s swearing in April 2013, when he allegedly directed top co-conspirators to find a new smuggling route to replace one uncovered by French authorities. Maduro also authorized the arrests of low-level military officials to deflect blame, prosecutors say.
Legal experts said prosecutors will need to show evidence of Maduro’s direct involvement in drug trafficking to secure a conviction, which could prove difficult if he insulated himself from decision making.
Maduro ruled Venezuela with a heavy hand for more than 12 years, presiding over deep economic and social crises and resisting pressure from domestic opponents and foreign governments for political change.
Maduro’s capture followed a monthslong pressure campaign by Trump, who authorized U.S. forces to seize ships suspected of carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil and carry out missile strikes on small boats said to be ferrying drugs.
Experts in international law have questioned the legality of the raid, with some condemning Trump’s actions as a repudiation of a rules-based international order.
The U.N. Security Council planned to meet on Monday to discuss the U.S. attack, which Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as a dangerous precedent. Russia and China, both major backers of Venezuela, have criticized the U.S.
(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Additional reporting by Jan Wolfe and Tom Hals; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Lincoln Feast.)
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