Maduro drug trafficking hearing begins in NY court as Venezuela grapples with ouster

NEW YORK — Toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro appeared in federal court on Monday to face U.S. drug trafficking charges after President Donald Trump's stunning capture of him rattled world leaders and left officials in Caracas scrambling to respond. Maduro was expected to enter a plea during his court appearance before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. The ousted leader — his hands zip-tied — and his wife Cilia Flores were transported under guard on Monday morning from a Brooklyn detention center to a helicopter bound for the Manhattan court. The arraignment got under way as U.N. chief Antonio Guterres raised concerns about instability in Venezuela and the legality of Trump's strike, the most dramatic U.S. intervention in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion. Special Forces swooped into Caracas by helicopter on Saturday, shattered his security cordon and dragged him from the threshold of a safe room. Maduro is accused of overseeing a cocaine-trafficking network that partnered with violent groups including Mexico’s Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombian FARC rebe