<\/p>\n
Demonstrators protest outside Manhattan federal court before a pre-trial hearing in former Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro’s drug trafficking case, Thursday, March 26, 2026, in New York.<\/p>\n
Heather Khalifa\/AP<\/p>\n
File – Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro speaks to supporters during an event at the Miraflores Presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Feb. 4, 2024.<\/p>\n
Matias Delacroix\/AP<\/p>\n
Former Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro returned to a New York courtroom Thursday as he seeks to have his drug trafficking indictment thrown out over a geopolitical dispute over legal fees.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s the first time that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, was in court since a January arraignment at which he protested their capture by U.S. military forces and declared: \u201cI am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country.\u201d Flores has also pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n
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Both remain jailed at a detention center in Brooklyn, and neither has asked to be released on bail. Judge Alvin Hellerstein has yet to set a trial date.<\/p>\n
Maduro returns to a Brooklyn jail<\/p>\n
A few minutes after leaving the courthouse, the motorcade had returned Maduro and his wife to the detention center on the Brooklyn waterfront where they have been held since arriving in the United States.<\/p>\n
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The motorcade had left for the courthouse before dawn.<\/p>\n
Motorcade seen leaving the courthouse<\/p>\n
Shortly after Thursday\u2019s hearing ended, a long motorcade of law enforcement vehicles could be seen leaving the courthouse complex, then heading in the direction of Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
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It included SUVs and a black van with tinted windows, police cars and an ambulance.<\/p>\n
Both Flores and Maduro are jailed at a detention center in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
Maduro\u2019s status as president<\/p>\n
Maduro legally is still Venezuela\u2019s president.<\/p>\n
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In the hours after the Jan. 3 operation, the country\u2019s high court declared his absence \u201ctemporary,\u201d effectively eliminating the need for a speedy election and keeping the protections the office grants him under international law.<\/p>\n
The court ordered Delcy Rodr\u00edguez to take office for up to 90 days with the possibility of extending that to six months if approved by the National Assembly.<\/p>\n
The high court and the National Assembly are controlled by the ruling party, and Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s brother presides over the National Assembly.<\/p>\n
Hearing concludes with no decisions<\/p>\n
Maduro shook hands with his lawyer and translator and waved to Flores\u2019 lawyer as he was led out by officers with the U.S. Marshals Service.<\/p>\n
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As he left the defense table, he told his lawyer, \u201cHasta ma\u00f1ana,\u201d which is Spanish for, \u201cSee you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hellerstein will rule at a later date on the funding issue. He will also set another hearing date.<\/p>\n
Judge says he won\u2019t decide funding for Maduro\u2019s defense today<\/p>\n
The judge didn\u2019t say exactly when he would decide whether Maduro can use funds from the Venezuelan government for his defense.<\/p>\n
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The court hearing was continuing as the judge took up another matter.<\/p>\n
What happens if the judge lets Maduro use Venezuelan government funds?<\/p>\n
The exchange between the prosecutor and judge is getting into the legal mechanics of that issue.<\/p>\n
They discussed whether the judge legally could order the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control to grant a license that would effectively release the money.<\/p>\n
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The prosecutor argued that there\u2019s no legal pathway for that.<\/p>\n
Maduro\u2019s lawyer said the solution is simply to throw out the case.<\/p>\n
The judge retorted: \u201cI\u2019m not going to dismiss the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maduro\u2019s own financial situation is key to whether he qualifies for public defenders<\/p>\n
Because of that, the judge asked prosecutors what they\u2019ve found out about whether Maduro has the money to pay for his own defense.<\/p>\n
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Wirshba says they\u2019re still investigating.<\/p>\n
Wirshba also argued that public defenders and court-appointed lawyers in New York have handled other far-flung cases and could manage Maduro\u2019s.<\/p>\n
The judge said he has all respect for those attorneys\u2019 ability, but \u201cthis is a case that is beyond the normal and could hamper their ability to do their normal work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prosecutor says Maduro can use his own money for his defense<\/p>\n
Prosecutor Kyle Wirshba cast it as an issue of the U.S. government\u2019s ability to use sanctions to advance national security and foreign policy interests.<\/p>\n
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But Judge Alvin Hellerstein pressed him on why that argument holds now that U.S. and Venezuelan relations have warmed somewhat. \u201cWe are doing business with Venezuela,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
Wirshba responded that \u201csimply because there are relations with another government\u201d doesn\u2019t mean Washington can\u2019t maintain its sanctions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the purpose of the sanctions is because the defendants are plundering the wealth of Venezuela, it would undermine the sanctions to allow them access the same funds now to pay for their defense,\u201d the prosecutor told the judge.<\/p>\n
He added that Maduro and Flores can use their own money for their defense. Maduro has said he doesn\u2019t have the money to do so.<\/p>\n
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Maduro\u2019s attorney says it doesn\u2019t make sense for public defenders to represent him<\/p>\n
Maduro\u2019s attorney is arguing that if the former Venezuelan president gets public defenders, that would sap legal resources that are meant for people who can\u2019t afford their own attorneys.<\/p>\n
Pollack is telling the judge that doesn\u2019t make sense in \u201ca case where you have someone other than the U.S. taxpayer standing ready, willing and able to fund that defense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maduro\u2019s attorneys say US should let him use Venezuelan government funds for his defense<\/p>\n
Maduro lawyer Barry Pollack is making complex legal arguments for why the U.S. should let Maduro access Venezuelan government funds to pay for his defense.<\/p>\n
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The judge is asking questions.<\/p>\n
Maduro appears to be taking notes.<\/p>\n
Maduro glances at his wife in the courtroom<\/p>\n
Maduro, in a jail uniform, is seated between his attorneys at a defense table.<\/p>\n
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He glanced at his wife, who is sitting between her own attorneys to the right of him and his attorneys. She\u2019s also in a jail uniform.<\/p>\n
The couple are both wearing headphones to hear interpretation.<\/p>\n
Nicol\u00e1s Maduro arrives in US court<\/p>\n
Former Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro has been brought into a New York courtroom as he seeks to have his drug trafficking indictment thrown out over a geopolitical dispute over legal fees.<\/p>\n
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Thursday\u2019s hearing is the first time Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been in court since a January arraignment at which he protested their capture by U.S. military forces and declared: \u201cI am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country.\u201d Flores has also pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n
Judge Alvin Hellerstein has yet to set a trial date, though that could happen at Thursday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n
Some supporters of Maduro\u2019s party hesitate to say whether he should return as president<\/p>\n
In Caracas, Eduardo Cubillan condemned the violation of Venezuela\u2019s sovereignty during the Jan. 3 operation. But the 80-year-old retiree hesitated to say whether he would like Maduro to return as president.<\/p>\n
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While Maduro\u2019s ruling party remains in power, he has slowly been erased from the government of Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, Venezuela\u2019s acting president. Cubillan\u2019s hesitation reflected a dilemma that many ruling party supporters face as they see Rodr\u00edguez reach agreements with the U.S. that could bring economic improvements.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope that in the United States, if justice truly exists, a trial will be held that will lead to President Maduro\u2019s freedom, because this kidnapping violated international legal principles, and we want justice to be served,\u201d Cubillan said.<\/p>\n
Trump says Maduro will \u2018be given a fair trial\u2019<\/p>\n
During his Cabinet meeting, President Trump accused Maduro of being a \u201cmajor purveyor of drugs coming into our country.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Trump said Maduro would be given \u201ca fair trial. But I would imagine there are other trials coming.\u201d He didn\u2019t provide details, but suggested the current charges Maduro is facing might be \u201ca fraction of the kind of things that he\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n
A noisy scene near the courthouse in New York<\/p>\n
Protesters and supporters are still gathering. They\u2019re chanting, blowing horns and beating drums and cowbells.<\/p>\n
Among the anti-Maduro contingent, one person is waving a sign reading, \u201cMaduro rot in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n
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On the other side of a metal barrier, people wave signs saying, \u201cFree President Maduro.\u201d<\/p>\n
Court officer warns people in the gallery to stay quiet<\/p>\n
The officer prefaced Thursday\u2019s hearing with a warning to spectators to stay quiet and seated while the former Venezuelan president is in the courtroom.<\/p>\n
People who speak out will be removed and could face legal consequences, he said. The officer acknowledged, \u201cThis may be a sensitive case for some of you\u201d and added, \u201cyou\u2019re in a federal courthouse. Please respect the institution and what it stands for.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Supporters in Caracas take selfies, wave flags<\/p>\n
In Caracas, many attendees wore the uniform of their state agency employer, took selfies to report to managers their participation at the event and waved Venezuelan flags as a group played regional music.<\/p>\n
A woman attached action figures modeled after Maduro and Flores to her flag.<\/p>\n
A screen behind the stage showed a photo of the couple taken during Maduro\u2019s January 2025 swearing in ceremony and the phrase \u201c83 days have gone by since their kidnapping.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Supporters gather in Caracas to pray for Maduro and Flores<\/p>\n
In Venezuela\u2019s capital, a couple hundred people, among them ruling party supporters, state employees and civilian militia members, gathered at a public plaza Thursday morning, planning to pray for Maduro and Flores and to watch the couple\u2019s hearing, unaware that U.S. federal courts do not allow cameras.<\/p>\n
A large screen mixed footage of Maduro, the Venezuelan flag and the country\u2019s recent World Baseball Classic championship win.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to see him today,\u201d ruling party leader Carmen Melendez told the crowd. \u201cWe may see him skinnier. \u2026 But that\u2019s our president.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Pro-Maduro protesters rally outside the courthouse<\/p>\n
A group of demonstrators held Venezuela flags and signs saying \u201cFree President Maduro.\u201d They also shouted \u201cNo boots on the ground, no bombs in the air. U.S. out of everywhere,\u201d denouncing U.S. military actions abroad.<\/p>\n
Some carried an inflatable doll depicting Maduro in orange clothing resembling prison garb.<\/p>\n
Signs indicated some of the protesters were affiliated with the Workers World Party, which describes itself as a revolutionary socialist party.<\/p>\n
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Secure motorcades can slip through notorious New York traffic with ease<\/p>\n
The last time Maduro appeared at the courthouse, he was brought there in spectacular fashion.<\/p>\n
A helicopter flew him from Brooklyn to a heliport in Manhattan, where a motorcade of law enforcement vehicles whisked him to the courthouse in just a few minutes.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies have made an art form out of transporting important people through streets that are often choked with traffic.<\/p>\n
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When Trump was on trial at a courthouse in the same Lower Manhattan neighborhood in 2024, police made sure his Secret Service motorcade also had an unobstructed and traffic-free path to the courthouse.<\/p>\n
Judge presiding over case has decades of experience<\/p>\n
The judge presiding over Maduro\u2019s case is 92 years old.<\/p>\n
A native New Yorker, Alvin K. Hellerstein was nominated to the court by President Bill Clinton in 1998.<\/p>\n
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He\u2019s not the oldest judge on the federal bench in New York. That honor belongs to Judge Louis L. Stanton, who is 98.<\/p>\n
Hellerstein has handled many other big cases. For nearly 25 years, he has also presided over civil litigation resulting from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York.<\/p>\n
Hearing not expected to address heavy legal issues<\/p>\n
Legal issues surrounding the drug trafficking case against Maduro are expected to be complex, but they are unlikely to surface in a prolonged way at Thursday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n
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The main subject of the court appearance involves how to pay his lawyers. Because of U.S. sanctions, the legal team can\u2019t simply accept a check from Venezuela\u2019s government. They need permission from the U.S. government. But U.S. authorities don\u2019t want to grant it. They say Maduro can pay for his defense himself.<\/p>\n
The dispute will get worked out in court.<\/p>\n
Ex-Venezuelan president faces drug charges<\/p>\n
The indictment against Maduro accuses him of carrying out a wide-ranging conspiracy to traffic illegal drugs into the U.S. for more than a quarter century.<\/p>\n
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It says he cleared the way for thousands of tons of cocaine to enter the United States by teaming up at times with Venezuelan law enforcement to aid drug kingpins.<\/p>\n
Maduro says he\u2019s innocent. His supporters say that the U.S. military seized Maduro because U.S. President Donald Trump wanted regime change in Venezuela.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Demonstrators protest outside Manhattan federal court before a pre-trial hearing in former Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro’s drug trafficking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176022,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[43029,70476,10049,98,71486,42393,153,71552,71571,71488,75,84,83,9,24,15862,71487,63,833,834,3065,2336,829,831,27231,7318],"class_list":["post-176282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manhattan","tag-alvin-hellerstein","tag-barry-pollack","tag-bill-clinton","tag-brooklyn","tag-carmen-melendez","tag-cilia-flores","tag-donald-trump","tag-eduardo-cubillan","tag-kyle-wirshba","tag-louis-l-stanton","tag-manhattan","tag-manhattan-headlines","tag-manhattan-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nicolas-maduro","tag-nicolas-maduro-venezuela-court","tag-nyc","tag-package-100024-ap-online","tag-package-100373-mc-complete-state-national","tag-product-30083-ap-new-york-city-news-no-weather","tag-product-30085-ap-new-york-state-news-no-weather","tag-product-30598-ap-national-news-report-a-wire","tag-product-31998-ap-online-national-news","tag-product-46986-ap-online-top-stories","tag-venezuela"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}