Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to narcotrafficking charges during his arraignment in U.S. federal court Monday, defiantly telling a judge that he was still the head of his nation despite being whisked away by U.S. forces over the weekend.

“I am innocent. I’m not guilty. I’m a decent man. I’m still the president of my country,” he said through a Spanish interpreter, adding that he was a prisoner of war and had been kidnapped from his home in Caracas.

Monday’s hearing kicked off a nearly unprecedented legal battle over a foreign leader in U.S. court. The arrest of a head of state presents challenges for both prosecutors and the defense, and the two sides could spend years sparring over the legality of Maduro’s arrest and charges before he goes to trial.

Maduro, who ruled his country for more than a decade from his palace, shuffled into the Manhattan courtroom on Monday in shackles and a navy blue jail shirt and khaki pants before being seated next to his lawyer. He shook hands with those around him and wished people in the packed courtroom a happy new year.

When Maduro continued to argue in court that he was wrongfully apprehended, the judge gently interjected, telling him there would be a time and place to make those arguments.

Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores , sat at the same defense table, showing what her lawyer said were visible signs of injuries sustained during her capture. The Maduros face charges including cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns. The two defendants are being detained at a Brooklyn federal jail. Their lawyers said neither were seeking bail but may do so in the future.

The U.S. captured Maduro and his wife early Saturday during a dramatic military operation that ended with the ousted president aboard a U.S. warship.

Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack , told the judge that before trial he planned to make arguments about the legality of Maduro’s abduction and his immunity as a head of state.

The closest comparable case to Maduro’s involves drug-trafficking charges brought against Manuel Noriega , the former Panamanian strongman whom the U.S. captured after invading the country in 1989. He was convicted in a Miami federal court and sentenced to 40 years in prison. He had tried to assert head-of-state immunity, saying the charges were unlawful. However, a federal appellate court shot down the argument, siding with prosecutors who said the U.S. hadn’t recognized him as the legitimate head of Panama.

“I would expect prosecutors to make similar arguments here,” said former federal prosecutor Artie McConnell . He added that courts have ruled in previous cases that criminal conduct like drug trafficking doesn’t fall under official acts of a government leader.

U.S. prosecutors had previously charged Maduro in 2020, and by 2025 offered a reward of up to $50 million for information leading to his arrest. The U.S. doesn’t recognize him as Venezuela’s legitimate president.

The new indictment, unveiled Saturday just hours after the incursion into Venezuela , accuses Maduro, Flores and four other defendants with a 25-year conspiracy involving partnering with violent drug traffickers to distribute tons of cocaine to the U.S.

Maduro “sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking,” prosecutors wrote.

The indictment alleges that Maduro took specific steps to advance the conspiracy, including selling Venezuelan diplomatic passports to drug traffickers and ordering kidnappings and murders against people he believed owed him drug money.

Outside the courthouse Monday, police set up barriers along the sidewalks, which were packed with dozens of chanting protesters, including some carrying signs saying “U.S.A. Hands Off Venezuela.” Police separated some of the protesters from one another. Inside the courtroom, a man stood up after the hearing and shouted to Maduro in Spanish.

“Soy un prisionero de guerra,” Maduro replied—which translates to “I’m a prisoner of war”—as court officers escorted the man out of the room.

Flores also pleaded not guilty. “We look forward to reviewing and challenging the evidence the government has,” her lawyer said in a statement.

The next hearing has been set for March 17.

The Justice Department has previously charged former heads of state. In 2024 the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office obtained a conviction against former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández in a criminal case similar to Maduro’s. A federal jury found Hernández guilty of drug-trafficking and weapons conspiracies after prosecutors said he helped to ship more than 500 tons of cocaine into the U.S. in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes.

Unlike Maduro, Hernández was arrested in his country after leaving office. He was later extradited and detained in the same Brooklyn federal jail where Maduro is being held. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs also spent time at the facility while they awaited trial.

President Trump pardoned Hernández in November after several Trump allies, including Roger Stone, called for the release of the former Central American leader. Around the same time, Trump endorsed a member of Hernández’s conservative party in the presidential race in Honduras. That candidate, Nasry Asfura, was declared the winner in late December.