Nicolas Maduro to appear in US court: What charges does Venezuelan President face?

Nicolas Maduro is set to appear in the US federal court on Monday after the president was captured and taken away by American forces in the large-scale military operation ordered by Donald Trump.

According to a spokesperson for the US District Court in the Southern District of New York, Maduro is charged with multiple offences for which he could be indicted in the federal court.

President Trump said in a Saturday press conference that the US would "run" Venezuela during the transition, and “get the oil flowing”, urging the new leader to comply with US’ orders, as reported by CBS News. 

The US President also warned that the South American country could face another strike if Venezuela fails to cooperate with US efforts to curb drug trafficking and open up its oil industry.

After Maduro’s detention, the vice-president Delcy Rodríguez will be sworn as president on Monday in Caracas.

As per Trump administration, the military operation is the part of law-enforcement action to hold Maduro accountable for criminal charges filed in 2020, accusing him of narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Maduro faces the charges that blamed him for providing support to major drug cartels and trafficking groups, including Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang.

According to prosecutors, the 63-year-old Venezuelan president was also involved in directing cocaine trafficking routes, protecting the shipments, offering sanctuaries to trafficking groups and presidential facilities to ship the drugs.

He is also accused of possessing illegal weapons, destructive devices and machine guns.

Besides Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores is also accused of ordering murders and kidnappings.

In the face of all these alleged charges, Maduro has denied any wrongdoing.