Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, who was arrested by U.S. forces and extradited to the United States, arrived at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan on the 5th local time for his first court appearance, Reuters and other outlets reported.
According to CNN, President Maduro, who had been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, was put on a helicopter that morning and transported to a helipad near the courthouse.
On the scene, heavily armed troops were seen dragging President Maduro, in handcuffs, and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were put into an armored vehicle and taken to the courthouse.
The presidential couple is set to undergo an arraignment at noon Eastern time and at 2 a.m. on the 6th Korea time.
This is the first time President Maduro has appeared in a U.S. court. He was indicted in 2020, during the first Trump administration, on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering and "narcoterrorism."
The trial will be overseen by Judge Alvin Hellerstein, 92, who has handled the drug case linked to him for more than 10 years.
The presidential couple was arrested on the 3rd at a safe house in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, by U.S. troops and U.S. Department of Justice officials, and was extradited to New York the same day.