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The ousted Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro appears this Monday before a federal court in New York, two days after his dramatic capture in Caracas during a U.S. military operation that ended with his transfer to American soil under strict security measures.
The images broadcasted live by international news channels show a black helicopter landing at a helipad on the East River in Manhattan, from where armed agents of the DEA and the Department of Justice escorted Maduro, handcuffed and with a somber expression, to a convoy that took him to the court where he will be formally charged with drug trafficking and corruption.
Maduro, 63 years old, is facing charges for trafficking cocaine to the United States along with his wife, Cilia Flores, who was also arrested in the operation. The new indictment additionally lists his son “Nicolasito” Maduro Guerra, the Minister of Interior Diosdado Cabello, and a well-known boss of the Cártel de los Soles who is currently a fugitive.
The former president remains confined in a federal maximum-security prison in Brooklyn, awaiting his first hearing before the judge at 12:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. GMT).
During the weekend, President Donald Trump stated that the United States is "in charge" of Venezuela, and confirmed that his administration maintains "operational contacts" with the new interim authorities led by Delcy Rodríguez, who is said to have agreed to collaborate with Washington on the "political and security transition."
The capture of Maduro—described by the White House as "the biggest blow to Latin American narcoterrorism"—marks a radical shift in regional politics and leaves Cuba, his main ally, in a state of extreme economic and diplomatic vulnerability.
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