Maduro faces federal court on narco-terrorism, drug-trafficking charges
Fox News national correspondent Bryan Llenas reports from Manhattan federal court as former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appears for a hearing on narco-terrorism and drug-trafficking charges. Prosecutors allege Maduro led a drug-trafficking organization for over two decades. His attorneys are expected to argue he is immune from prosecution as a head of state and that his capture by U.S. Special Forces was unlawful. The Treasury Department authorized Venezuela to fund Maduro’s legal defense.
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The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York charged former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores with conspiracy to commit torture to Americans and others, according to a superseding indictment filed Thursday.
Maduro’s government, according to the indictment, “presided over a system of repression that relied on violence against political opposition, arbitrary detention, and the torture of detainees, including United States citizens.”
The torture included “electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture, such as threats to harm and kill victims’ families, including children,” the indictment read.
The charge carries a maximum of life imprisonment if any of the alleged torture resulted in death, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if not.
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Captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appear with their attorneys Barry Pollack and Mark Donnelly at their arraignment in a federal court in New York City on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (Jane Rosenberg)
In one incident, the indictment alleges that a U.S. detainee in Venezuela was beaten for days and doused with a noxious liquid that made him vomit, which Venezuelan officers then allegedly made him eat.
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The detainee, who was allegedly accused of plotting to kill Maduro, was also subjected to electric shock torture to his torso and genitals and injected with a substance that induced seizures.
“On one occasion, CC-3 personally observed Victim-7 being electrocuted; laughed at and taunted Victim-7 during the electric shock; and directed other DGCIM officers in connection with the electric shock,” the indictment read.
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After spending eight-and-a-half months at Boleíta Norte prison in Venezuela, the detainee was released and returned to the U.S. in October 2022, according to the indictment.
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a Federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026 in New York City. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
The indictment alleges Maduro and Flores “inflicted severe physical and mental pain and suffering to repress and punish political opposition, silence dissent and perceived dissent, preserve and protect the power and authority of the members of the conspiracy, and intimidate, harass, and neutralize their opponents, including through kidnappings.”
The pair, who face numerous other charges, were arrested in Venezuela in January during Operation Absolute Resolve. Maduro was originally charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices in a 2011 indictment that President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice unsealed in 2020.
Flores was then charged in a superseding indictment in January with cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. They have pleaded not guilty and face a minimum of 50 years in prison if convicted. A trial is scheduled for June 2027.
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Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a Federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026 in New York City. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images via Getty Images)
Flores appeared in court Thursday for a bond hearing on her motion for release from jail. Her lawyers were requesting home confinement with GPS tracking, citing a heart condition and arguing she does not pose a danger to the community. US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied the request.
The U.S. government opposes her release, arguing she poses a flight risk and danger to the public.
Flores’ attorneys say she denies the allegations against her, and both she and Maduro have filed motions to dismiss on diplomatic immunity grounds.
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Fox News’ Maria Paronich and Patrick Ward contributed to this report.