Maduro Arrives at US Courthouse

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was on the move again Monday morning, this time to court. A motorcade brought him from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a New York City courthouse ahead of his appearance on drug and weapons charges, reports CNN. Maduro and his wife, Cilia, are expected to appear at noon before a federal judge for a brief legal proceeding that will likely kick off a prolonged legal fight over whether he can be put on trial in the US, per the AP.

His lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of a foreign state. The US, however, doesn't recognize him as Venezuela's legitimate leader. Maduro, his wife, son Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, and three others are accused of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the US. They could face life in prison if convicted. The couple's son and others charged are not in US custody, per CNBC.

Monday's trip across Lower Manhattan to the courthouse was swift. The vehicle carrying Maduro backed into a garage in the courthouse complex at around 7:40am. He will likely remain out of public view until the hearing. Bicycle-rack style barricades are lining both sides of the street for several blocks around the main court entrance on Worth Street.