Maduro Set to Face Charges In New York Court On January 5

By staff, Agencies

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was illegally abducted by US forces, is scheduled to be formally charged in a New York federal court at 17:00 GMT on January 5, according to The Washington Post.

Maduro is scheduled to appear before District Judge Alvin Hellerstein at the Lower Manhattan District Court. The court session marks the beginning of a high-profile legal process involving alleged charges tied to drug trafficking and weapons violations.

Reportedly, a newly unsealed indictment by the US Justice Department accuses Maduro of running a “corrupt, illegitimate government” supported by an extensive drug-trafficking operation that allegedly flooded the US with thousands of tons of cocaine.

The Venezuelan president faces four charges: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

It is noteworthy that all allegations have been widely disputed and tied to the US pursuit of Venezuela’s oil, with Trump announcing plans to seize it as Maduro was kidnapped.

The new indictment mirrors 2020 charges against Maduro but adds new counts against his wife, son, and three others, all accused of drug trafficking and arms conspiracy. It revives an earlier trafficking case and controversially links Maduro to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua [TdA], according to The Guardian’s Aram Roston.

The Guardian’s analyst highlights that the latest US indictment, echoing the 2020 charges against Maduro, names five co-defendants, including alleged TdA founder Hector Guerrero Flores. The indictment falsely claims Maduro’s involvement with such groups, labeling TdA as a "narco-terrorist" organization without evidence of any direct connection to Guerrero Flores.

Trump falsely accused Maduro of using TdA to target the US, claiming Venezuela sent the gang to spread chaos and commit crimes within US borders.

Roston notes that Trump’s claims became central to his mass deportation policy, using the Alien Enemies Act to justify expulsions without due process during times of war or invasion.

However, US intelligence assessments contradict Trump’s narrative, with a 2025 memo stating that Maduro likely doesn’t coordinate with TdA or direct its operations in the US.

Roston also cites a former US Drug Enforcement Administration official who investigated Venezuela’s government, contradicting Trump's claims, saying there is no credible link between Maduro and TdA.