Ousted Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro — wearing a tan jail jumpsuit and black glasses— returned to a Manhattan court Thursday to face historic drug trafficking charges as dueling protesters clashed outside.
The toppled strongman, 63, calmly jotted down notes during his first appearance in court since January, where he had defiantly claimed that the US military had “kidnapped’’ him.
Ousted Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro returned to a Manhattan court Thursday to face historic drug trafficking charges on Thursday, March 26, 2026. GC Images
Before the hearing, small groups of both pro and anti-Maduro protesters gathered outside the courthouse in Manhattan. REUTERS
A courtroom sketch of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores attending their arraignment to face federal drug trafficking charges in Manhattan, New York on Jan. 5, 2026. REUTERS
Prosecutors and lawyers for Maduro and his wife, 69-year-old Celia Flores, are expected to grapple during the hearing over who will pay Maduro’s legal fees.
Maduro’s camp says that Venezuela’s government should be able to pay for his defense, but the US government has yet to hand over a waiver exempting them from US sanctions.
Here’s the latest on Nicolás Maduro’s capture:
Before the hearing, small groups of both pro and anti-Maduro protesters gathered outside the courthouse. One member of the anti-Maduro held up a sign saying “Maduro, Rot in Prison,” while the pro-Maduro crew held Venezuelan flags and signs saying “Free President Maduro.”
Both Maduro and his wife remain jailed at the Brooklyn Detention Center. US District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein has yet to set a trial date.