Venezuelans Nicolás Maduro and his Wife will Appear Before a New York Court Tomorrow
Furthermore, it is likely that both will remain in pretrial detention without bail while the legal process continues, according to reports today in The New York Times and CBS.
The arrested dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will appear tomorrow before a federal court in New York for their first hearing in the United States since their capture and extradition, judicial sources confirmed to news media on Sunday. According to a spokesperson for the Southern District Court of New York, they will be brought before Federal Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein in Manhattan at 12:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. GMT).
Maduro and Flores have been held since Saturday night at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, a high-security federal prison. This hearing will take place after the U.S. government announced on Saturday the capture of the Venezuelan president in Caracas, in an operation that included airstrikes against targets in Venezuela.
Maduro is accused in the United States of four federal charges: narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess those same weapons in furtherance of criminal activity, as well as collaborating with criminal organizations designated as terrorist groups by Washington. The indictments, filed in 2020 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and confirmed on Saturday, allege that the Venezuelan president led a network for years that used drug trafficking as a weapon against the United States.
Cilia Flores, for her part, faces charges related to alleged logistical and financial support operations for the same criminal organization, according to court documents cited by U.S. media. Furthermore, both are likely to be held in pretrial detention without bail while the legal proceedings continue, according to reports today in The New York Times and CBS.
Clothing Company’s Social Media Post Goes Viral Showing Maduro in its Hoodie: “Welcome to America”
An American clothing company took to social media this weekend, capitalizing on a marketing moment after photos went viral of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro wearing a hoodie. The photo shows Maduro seated and surrounded by Drug Enforcement Administration agents. He gives two thumbs up while handcuffed and wearing the 100% polyester “patriot blue”-colored hoodie.
“Welcome to America,” read the post on X
