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NEW YORK, Jan 05 (APP):Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty on Monday in their first New York court appearance after the U.S. captured them in a surprise military operation.
Both are charged in the U.S with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons offenses.
Maduro said in court: “I am the president of the Republic of Venezuela and I am here kidnapped since January 3, Saturday. I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.” Flores also described herself as the first lady of Venezuela.
In Washington, while announcing the capture of Maduro, President Donald Trump said the U.S. is “in charge” of Venezuela and warned its interim leader to cooperate or pay a “very big price.”
In Caracas, Delcy Rodríguez, vice president under Maduro, invited the U.S. government to collaborate but asserted: “Venezuela has the right to peace, development, sovereignty, and a future.”
Trump has said America will tap into Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. He has also issued new threats against Colombia, Mexico, Greenland and predicted Cuba’s regime will fall.