Maduro, Wife At New York Court, 1st Appearance After Capture By US Forces

Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro arrived at a New York court on Monday, just days after being seized in Caracas in a shock US military operation that paved the path for Washington's plans to dominate the oil-rich country.

The South American leader was escorted by heavily armed law enforcement officers to a courthouse in New York, having been transported by helicopter and armored car.

Maduro, 63, faces narcotrafficking charges along with his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, who was forcibly taken out of Caracas in the US assault Saturday, in which commandos swooped in on helicopters, backed by fighter jets and naval forces, to capture the pair. 

They were transported to a US Navy ship, flown to the US and taken Saturday night to the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn. 

The jail has been plagued by what inmates and defense lawyers have said are inhumane and unsanitary conditions.

Past residents at the jail have included everyone from Maxwell and hip-hop mogul Combs to Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras who was convicted of drug trafficking charges before being pardoned in December by President Donald Trump. Luigi Mangione, who pleaded not guilty to killing a UnitedHealth Group executive, is currently housed there awaiting trial.

Trump announced late Sunday that the United States was "in charge" of the South American nation, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that discussions of Venezuela holding elections following Maduro's ouster were "premature."

Maduro's lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.

Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega unsuccessfully tried the same defense after the US captured him in a similar military invasion in 1990. But the US doesn't recognise Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate head of state - particularly after a much-disputed 2024 reelection.

Venezuela's new interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has demanded that the U.S. return Maduro, who long denied any involvement in drug trafficking - although late Sunday she also struck a more conciliatory tone in a social media post, inviting collaboration with President Trump and "respectful relations" with the US.

Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed US hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuela's rich oil and mineral resources.

A 25-page indictment made public Saturday accuses Maduro and others of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the US. They could face life in prison if convicted. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been under US sanctions for years, making it illegal for any American to take money from them without first securing a license from the Treasury Department.

Among other things, the indictment accuses Maduro and his wife of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their drug trafficking operation. That included a local drug boss' killing in Caracas, the indictment said.

Maduro's wife is also accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between "a large-scale drug trafficker" and the director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office, resulting in additional monthly bribes, with some of the money going to Maduro's wife, according to the indictment.

(With inputs from AFP)