Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, first lady Cilia Flores, pled not guilty Monday to a series of gun and drug charges brought by the Trump administration.
"I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here," Maduro told US Judge Alvin Hellerstein, according to multiple reports. Flores similarly responded when asked for her plea, telling Hellerstein that she is "not guilty. Completely innocent."
Hellerstein advised Maduro and Flores that they have a right to a consular visit, and that both said they would like to have one. Neither sought bail, for now.
Maduro is facing a four-count indictment accusing him of leading a decades-long narco-terrorism conspiracy aimed at flooding the US with cocaine.
US prosecutors allege that Maduro coordinated with armed groups and senior government figures to facilitate large-scale cocaine trafficking, using state institutions to support drug operations.
The charges were unsealed after Maduro was transferred to New York Saturday following an overnight US military operation that led to his capture. He remains in federal custody at a detention facility in Brooklyn.
"I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela," said Maduro, later alleging that he was "kidnapped" by the US.
After the US detained Maduro, Venezuela's Supreme Court directed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to "immediately" assume the post of acting president. US President Donald Trump has vowed to assert American control over the country for the time being, including by deploying US troops if necessary.
Barry Pollack, an attorney representing Maduro, appeared to set the stage for the defense to challenge the legality of Maduro's detainment, saying "there are questions about the legality of his military abduction."
Hellerstein set March 17 for Maduro's next court date.
