Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty Monday to federal drug trafficking and weapons charges, days after they were captured by U.S. military forces in a stunning overnight operation and brought to New York City for prosecution, writes CBS NEWS.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan. The two were transported under heavy security via helicopter from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a Manhattan heliport and taken by motorcade to the courthouse hours before the proceedings Monday afternoon.

“I’m innocent. I’m not guilty – I’m a decent man”, Maduro said through an interpreter, adding that he is “still president of my country”.

The ousted Venezuelan leader is represented by Barry Pollack, a seasoned trial lawyer who represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and helped broker the deal that led to him pleading guilty to a single felony count for publishing U.S. military secrets in 2024. Flores is represented by Mark Donnelly, a Texas-based lawyer, according to a court filing.

Protesters gathered outside the courthouse ahead of the arraignment.