""This is not a trumped-up case. This appears to be a real solid indictment," Adam Pollock, a former assistant attorney general of New York and now a managing partner of the law firm Pollock Cohen, told me. Pollock believes the U.S. government has built an impressive case against the Maduros, with the indictment suggesting there are cooperating witnesses, recordings of drug deals, and direct links between the Maduros and Venezuelan drug-trafficking networks."
"Still, the disturbing and complex facts of the Maduros' arrest-during an apparently illegal military raid of the country Maduro was leading-makes this case anything but a slam dunk. While entering a plea of not guilty on Monday, the Venezuelan leader told the court that he had been "kidnapped." "I am innocent. I'm a decent man," Maduro said during his arraignment. The couple did not seek bail, and were transferred to a New York City jail. Their next court hearing is on March 17."
A federal indictment in New York charges Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia with drug trafficking and alleges direct links to Venezuelan drug-trafficking networks supported by cooperating witnesses and recordings. The couple were arraigned in New York, pleaded not guilty, did not seek bail, and were transferred to a New York City jail, with a next hearing on March 17. Maduro publicly claimed kidnapping and proclaimed innocence. The arrest occurred amid an apparently illegal military raid in Venezuela, creating complex legal and political complications and ensuring the proceedings will be closely watched and contentious.
Read at Slate Magazine
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