Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, are scheduled to appear for the first time on Monday in federal court in Manhattan after they were arrested by US forces in a military operation in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
The couple is expected to appear before Judge Alvin Hellerstein at 12 noon ET. Both are currently being held in federal custody at MDC-Brooklyn.
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores arrive at the Wall Street helipad in New York City, January 5, 2026.
Kyle Mazza-CNP/Shutterstock
Detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at a midtown Manhattan heliport, as he heads toward the Daniel Patrick Manhattan US Courthouse for an initial appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, January 5, 2026.
Eduardo Munoz – Reuters
It is not yet clear whether Maduro and Flores had sought legal counsel before being summoned. Maduro has long denied all such accusations.
Maduro and Flores are among six defendants named in a four-count indictment accusing them of conspiring with violent and dangerous drug traffickers over the past 25 years.
People protest US strikes against Venezuela and the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan US Courthouse in New York City, January 5, 2026.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images
People protest US strikes against Venezuela and the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan US Courthouse in New York City, January 5, 2026.
Jenna Moon/Reuters
The other defendants are Maduro’s son, two high-ranking Venezuelan officials and an alleged leader of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela” in which “Maduro and Flores were arrested and flown out of the country.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is accompanied as he heads to his initial court appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, January 5, 2026.
Adam Gray – Reuters
Detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at a midtown Manhattan heliport, as he heads toward the Daniel Patrick Manhattan US Courthouse for an initial appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, January 5, 2026.
Eduardo Munoz – Reuters
Trump said that the operation was carried out in cooperation with US law enforcement authorities. Members of Congress said the military, which sources said included the elite Delta Force, was there to support that law enforcement operation.
In a move that alarmed some observers, Trump, who campaigned under the slogan “America First” and against foreign entanglements, said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago that the United States would “run” Venezuela for an unspecified “period of time.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted by US Drug Enforcement agents after arriving in New York City, January 3, 2026.
Obtained by ABC News
He said that a team consisting of some of his government officials along with a local team in Venezuela “will run the country” because “there is no one to take charge.”
“We’re going to run it right. We’re going to run it professionally. We’re going to have the biggest oil companies in the world come in and invest billions and billions of dollars and take the money, use that money in Venezuela, and the biggest beneficiary will be the people of Venezuela,” Trump said.
This photo was taken on January 3, 2026, from UGC footage posted by Jose Abreu to his X account @Jabreu89, and shows smoke rising over Caracas after a series of explosions as part of a US military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
@Jabreu89/X via AFP via Getty Images
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim leader to lead the country after what the Venezuelan Supreme Court described as Maduro’s “kidnapping.”
Rodriguez demanded Maduro’s return and pledged to defend Venezuela against US aggression.
A view of a damaged building in Catia la Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, January 4, 2026, a day after Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was captured in a US raid.
Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images
On Sunday, Rodriguez published a statement on social media in which she appeared to soften her tone, calling on “the US government to cooperate with us on a cooperation agenda directed toward common development within the framework of international law to promote lasting societal coexistence.”
Trump told reporters on Sunday that the United States was “responsible” for Venezuela.
The president said he had not yet spoken with Rodriguez. Asked if he wanted to, Trump said: “At the appropriate time, I will do it.”
ABC News’ Megan Mistry and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
