委内瑞拉总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗及其妻子西莉亚·弗洛雷斯因贩毒指控在美国面临审前听证。两人现年分别为63岁和69岁，均被羁押于布鲁克林监狱 [1]。
据报道，两人于1月初被美军从加拉加斯住所秘密逮捕，随后被押送至纽约 [1]。马杜罗对指控予以否认，在1月首次出庭时表示："我是无罪的。我是一个正直的人，是我国的合法总统" [1]。西莉亚·弗洛雷斯亦未认罪 [1]。
该案涉及向美国贩运数千吨可卡因的指控 [1]，两人均面临终身监禁的潜在判罚 [1]。特朗普政府将此次逮捕称为"精准执法行动" [1]。
马杜罗的律师巴里·波拉克计划就此次逮捕的合法性提出质疑，声称存在"军事绑架"问题 [1]。马杜罗亦声称自己遭到了非法绑架 [1]。该案最初于六年前提起 [1]，法官艾尔文·K·海勒斯坦尚未设定审判日期 [1]。
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Celia Flores faced a pretrial hearing in their US federal drug trafficking case [1]. The pair was arrested by US military personnel at their residence in Caracas in early January and transported to New York to face charges [1].
Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, are currently detained at a Brooklyn facility and have entered not guilty pleas [1]. They each face potential life sentences if convicted on charges related to the alleged smuggling of thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States [1].
During his initial court appearance in January, Maduro declared, "I am innocent. I am an upright man and the legitimate president of my country" [1]. He maintains that he is a prisoner of war subjected to illegal abduction [1].
The Trump administration characterized the arrest as a "precision law enforcement operation" [1]. Maduro's attorney, Barry Pollack, has signaled plans to challenge the legality of what he characterizes as a "military kidnapping" [1].
The underlying drug charges were originally brought six years ago [1]. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein has not yet set a trial date [1].