Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is set to make his first appearance Monday in an American courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and bringing him to New York. But the US doesn't recognise Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate head of state — particularly after a much-disputed 2024 reelection. Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed US hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuela's rich oil and mineral resources. The US seized Maduro and his wife in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base. 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.

Source: The Telegraph January 05, 2026 16:51 UTC