Nicolas Maduro appeared in a Manhattan federal court Thursday as the U.S. pushes forward with a broad drug-trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy case against the ousted Venezuelan leader that¡¯s loaded with regional and geopolitical implications.
Prosecutors claim Maduro, who was seized by the U.S. military on Jan. 3, played a key role in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine into the United States. They also allege that Maduro and others partnered with groups designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations and that he sought to enrich himself while serving in government over a quarter century.
At Thursday¡¯s in-person court appearance ¡ª the first since Jan. 5 ¡ª?Maduro, 63, was wearing a khaki prison uniform. His wife, Cilia Flores, 69, who is also charged in the case, was in the courtroom as well.
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