New York, United States. Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appeared in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday to argue that drug trafficking charges against him should be dismissed more than two months after he and his wife were captured in a surprise U.S. military raid in Caracas.
Dismissal motion and sanctions dispute
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been involved in a dispute over U.S. sanctions that they say prevent the Venezuelan government from paying for the couple’s legal defense. Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, have each pleaded not guilty to charges including narcoterrorism conspiracy and are jailed in Brooklyn pending trial.
They asked U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein to dismiss the charges, arguing that their inability to rely on Venezuelan public funds interferes with their right under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to have a lawyer of their choosing. Their lawyers said Maduro and Flores cannot afford to pay defense fees on their own.
Defense counsel and potential withdrawal
Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, who represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, said he wants to withdraw from the case if Hellerstein does not dismiss the charges and the Venezuelan government cannot pay his fees. It was unclear how much Pollack is charging Maduro, and Pollack did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump comments and capture operation
Earlier on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that additional cases would be brought against Maduro, without offering details.
U.S. special forces captured Maduro and Flores in a surprise January 3 raid on their Caracas residence and flew them to New York to face drug trafficking charges, an operation detailed in a Reuters examination of the covert mission and its geopolitical fallout. Maduro was transported from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan early on Thursday.
Demonstrations outside courthouse
Outside the courthouse, police separated dozens of Maduro opponents, including one holding an effigy of Maduro in an orange jumpsuit, from dozens of pro-Maduro demonstrators holding signs reading “Free President Maduro.”
What do you think the judge should consider when evaluating the request to dismiss the charges?
