Deposed former dictator of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism charges on Monday in a Manhattan courtroom, claiming he is a “decent man” who is innocent.

“I am innocent. I am not guilty,” Maduro said through a translator. “I am a decent man. I am still president of my country.”

United States District Judge Alvin Hellerstein presided over the hearing which saw Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, also plead not guilty to the narco-terrorism charges.

The couple, as well as Maduro’s chief military ally Diosdado Cabello, and top Tren de Aragua leader Hector Ruthenford Guerrero Flores, are charged in a four-count indictment by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for an alleged narco-terrorism scheme that involves Colombian terrorist organizations and Mexican drug cartels.

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. (Photo by XNY/Star Max/GC Images)

“The defendants, together and with others, engaged in a relentless campaign of cocaine trafficking throughout the time period charged in this Superseding Indictment, resulting in the distribution of thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States,” the indictment alleges:

Throughout, NICOLAS MADURO MOROS, the defendant, along with members of his family and other corrupt officials, provided law enforcement cover and logistical support for the transport of cocaine through Venezuela, with knowledge that their drug trafficking partners would move the cocaine north to the United States. While this conduct occurred regularly and repeatedly throughout the time period charged, below are certain examples of acts engaged in by the defendants in furtherance of their drug trafficking, including in partnership with narco-terrorist groups. [Emphasis added]

On January 3, the Trump administration carried out “Operation Absolute Resolve,” where an elite group of U.S. Armed Forces known as Delta Force breached Maduro’s residence in Caracas, Venezuela. Maduro allegedly tried to evade capture by running to a steel safe room but failed.

Maduro and his wife were taken into U.S. custody and flown to Stewart Airport in New Windsor, New York, where they were then transported to a jail in New York City.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.