The charges Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face include narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges. Maduro was taken from his Caracas compound by a US special operations military unit.

Maduro’s appearance before Bill Clinton appointed Judge Alvin Hellerstein, is expected to draw sweeping media coverage. While just kilometres away, the United Nations (UN) Security Council would already have been deliberating for two hours in an emergency session amid questions of the UN Charter violations by a P5 member (five permanent members of the UN Security Council).

Maduro and the Venezuelan Government have rejected the US trafficking charges, arguing that the US is more interested in targeting the country’s oil wealth.

–SABC–