Nicolás Maduro attends his first hearing

Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leader, was captured in a nighttime military operation carried out by the United States' Delta Force on January 3, 2026, at his residence in Caracas and was taken to a correctional facility in New York City.

Along with his wife, Cilia Flores, he was presented before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on charges of "conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and related crimes." At their initial appearance on January 5, 2026, both pleaded "not guilty."

The so-called "Operation Absolute Resolution," carried out in the early hours of January 3, 2026, was a precision military incursion. The aerial and ground deployment included more than 150 aircraft, bombers, and drones that neutralized strategic defense positions and key facilities in Caracas—such as Fuerte Tiuna, La Carlota, and the Cuartel de la Montaña— to secure the perimeter and allow the extraction team to land.

During the assault on the residence, U.S. commandos, accompanied by FBI agents stormed the facility, preventing Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from taking refuge in a security bunker. After surrendering at the scene, both were taken into custody and immediately transported by helicopter to the warship USS Iwo Jima, from where they were subsequently flown to New York to be placed in the custody of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Defense requests dismissal of charges for being state figures

The Federal Court set Wednesday, June 1, 2027, as the start date for the trial against Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following a brief technical hearing that lasted only 18 minutes. During the hearing, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein approved the schedule previously agreed upon by the prosecution and the defense within the framework of the criminal proceedings. During the session, the defense, led by attorney Barry Pollack, outlined its next steps, confirming that it would formally file a motion to dismiss the case, claiming jurisdictional immunity based on the defendants' status as head of state and first lady at the time of the alleged offenses.

The motion will be argued later this year, in parallel with the discovery schedule, under which the prosecution plans to provide non-classified evidence in September and classified materials in November.

Unlike in his previous court appearances, Maduro appeared to be in noticeably better physical condition, walking normally without the limp observed during earlier hearings. Both defendants entered the courtroom wearing the standard khaki prison uniforms issued by the federal detention facility in Brooklyn and remained alongside their attorneys throughout the brief procedural hearing.

Maduro's son leads protest in Caracas

Nicolás Mauro Guerra, son of the president, led protests this Wednesday in Caracas Square, in the Venezuelan capital, demanding his father's immediate release from the U.S. government. Together with the Mayor of Caracas, Carmen Meléndez, and supporters of Chavismo, he led the demonstration while participants followed the proceedings of the hearing held in the United States.

"Let's look toward the future. Let's see what we have to go through. Let's fully support President Delcy Rodríguez and her entire team, who are doing a very difficult, very complicated job. We have to understand that, and those of you who are here, who are political cadres of the revolution, must understand it," he said in front of more than a hundred supporters of the ruling party.