Pakistan, Jan. 5 -- Venezuela's deposed leader Nicolas Maduro was transferred under heavy security to a federal court in Manhattan on Monday. He is due to face US drug-related charges linked to international cocaine trafficking networks. Maduro was moved from Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of his appearance before US District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.

Television footage showed Maduro stepping off a helicopter alongside his wife, Cilia Flores, escorted by multiple DEA agents. Both appeared in prison attire, and Maduro was seen limping slightly. US officials described the transfer as part of a high-risk operation following his capture in Caracas by American special forces over the weekend.

US prosecutors allege Maduro o...