Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty on January 5 to drug trafficking and weapons charges in a New York federal court, their first appearance since being seized in a US military operation over the weekend.

"I'm innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country," the 63-year-old Maduro told the court through an interpreter, according to US media present in the courtroom.

The couple appeared before the Southern District Court of New York wearing prison uniforms, with Maduro's feet shackled. They used headphones to follow the English proceedings through Spanish interpretation.

Maduro told the court he had been "captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela" and maintained he remained the country's legitimate president, before the judge interrupted to indicate such comments would be more appropriate at another time.

His lawyer, Barry Pollack, who previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, told the court he would not seek bail at this time, though he reserved the option to do so in future proceedings.

The 40-minute hearing at the Manhattan courthouse launched what represents one of the US government's most significant prosecutions of a sitting foreign leader in recent memory. The charges come amid a controversial US-led effort to remove Maduro from power that President Donald Trump has said will allow his administration to "run" Venezuela.

At the hearing's conclusion, a spectator began shouting at Maduro in Spanish, telling him he would face consequences for his actions. Maduro responded by calling himself a "kidnapped president" and a "prisoner of war" before being led away in shackles.

Outside the courthouse, police separated a small group of protesters holding signs reading "USA Hands-off Venezuela" from counter-demonstrators, including some thanking Trump for the intervention.

The couple were transported to court under armed guard from a Brooklyn detention facility where they have been held since arriving in the United States on January 3. They travelled by motorcade to a nearby athletic field, then by helicopter across New York harbour to Manhattan, where Maduro appeared to have difficulty walking as he was placed into an armoured vehicle.

A 25-page indictment made public yesterday accuses Maduro and others of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tonnes of cocaine into the United States. The charges include narco-terrorism conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. If convicted, they could face life in prison.

The indictment accuses Maduro and Flores of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their trafficking operation. Flores is separately accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange meetings between drug traffickers and Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office.

Maduro's legal team is expected to contest the arrest's legality, arguing he enjoys immunity as a sovereign head of state. Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega unsuccessfully tried the same defence after the US captured him in a military invasion in 1990.

However, the United States does not recognise Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate head of state, particularly after his disputed 2024 re-election. Venezuela's new interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has demanded Maduro's return whilst also striking a more conciliatory tone, inviting collaboration with Trump and "respectful relations" with Washington.

US forces seized Maduro and his wife in a military operation early on January 3 at their home on a military base in Caracas. Trump said the U.S. would temporarily "run" Venezuela, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on January 4 Washington would not govern the country day-to-day beyond enforcing an existing "oil quarantine."

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 17, with the judge ordering the ousted leader to appear again.