The deputy Nicolás Maduro Guerra, known as "Nicolasito," promised this Sunday not to give up in his effort to see his father, former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, who has been detained in New York for nine months after being captured by U.S. forces in Caracas.
«Nine months after the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, we reaffirm alongside the people of Caracas that we will not rest until we see them return. For the youth, for life, for our grandparents, for the future that awaits us, this struggle continues and we, God willing, will prevail!», wrote on X, accompanying the message with images from an event demanding the release of the former leader.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained on January 3, 2026 during the U.S. operation "Absolute Resolution," carried out in Caracas and surrounding areas amid federal drug trafficking charges.
Both are facing charges that include conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, as part of a narcoterrorism and corruption scheme that, according to the indictment, spanned more than two decades.
The joint oral trial, before Federal Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, is scheduled for June 1, 2027.
Both Maduro and Flores have requested the dismissal of the case, citing sovereign immunity, but have been unsuccessful so far.
Meanwhile, Flores' defense insisted this week on its request for bail, arguing that his heart problems have worsened during his incarceration.
The prosecution opposed that request, arguing extreme flight risk and danger to the public. Judge Hellerstein scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday to assess the request.
The case is also experiencing internal turbulence: prosecutor Jason A. Richman, co-head of National Security at the Federal Prosecutor’s Office for the Southern District of New York and one of the key supervisors of the case, left the office at the end of September, although the National Security Prosecutor's Office maintains control of the process.
Meanwhile, Maduro's own account on X posted a message this Sunday in which the former leader and Flores express their gratitude for the support of their followers: "We have felt loyalty as a shared value practiced by simple and noble people. Today more than ever, we feel loved and embraced by so many good people."
Maduro Guerra, 35 years old and a deputy in the Venezuelan National Assembly, has become the most visible spokesperson for his family since his father's arrest, participating in public events and actively campaigning for the release of the former leader, whose trial will not begin until June of next year.
Related videos:
Filed under: