Nicolás Maduro’s son, known for his involvement in the cocaine trade, was visibly emotional on Monday as he spoke in Venezuela’s parliament after his father’s detention.

“If we accept the abduction of a national leader, no nation is secure. Today, it is Venezuela, but tomorrow, it could be any other country that stands its ground,” Nicolás Maduro Guerra declared tearfully.

He continued, “Father, we are committed to our responsibilities until your return. The homeland is secure, and soon we will reunite in Venezuela.”

Supporters of the ruling party, including Maduro Guerra, convened in Caracas to proceed with the planned inauguration of the National Assembly, which will serve until 2031.

Guerra, a prominent government official and parliamentarian, expressed his “absolute support” for Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s deputy, who has stepped in as the interim president.

He demanded that his father and stepmother, Cilia Flores, be returned to the South American country and called on international support. Guerra, the deposed tyrant’s only son, also denounced being named as a co-conspirator in the US charges. 

Maduro and Flores were indicted in New York today on conspiracy charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and weapons offenses after their astonishing capture by US special forces on Saturday.  

Guerra, 35, known as Nicolasito or The Prince, is accused in the indictment of conspiring in ‘massive-scale drug trafficking’, including taking private jets to Caribbean party islands and bribing Colombian security personnel. 

Nicolás Maduro Guerra said: ‘If we normalize the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today, it’s Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit’

Nicolas Maduro is seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a Federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5

The dictator’s son worked with cartels to ship cocaine from Venezuela to the US via the Caribbean, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, the indictment alleges. 

Guerra is accused of flying to Margarita Island, a Venezuelan vacation spot in the Caribbean, where he loaded up a state-owned jet with cocaine packages.

He allegedly bragged to a military commander that he could have the jet, owned by the country’s state oil company, fly anywhere he wanted, including the US. 

He also worked to ship cocaine from Venezuela to Miami and New York, including using scrap metal containers to smuggle the drugs, the indictment says.

Guerra allegedly met with Colombian security officials in 2020 to discuss moving cocaine and weapons through the country and into the US over the next six years. The Colombians were offered guns as payment. 

Guerra now faces an uncertain political future as he could be captured at any moment to face trial in New York along with his father and stepmother. 

However, he and the Venezuelan government sought on Monday to show the citizenry and the world that the country is not controlled by the United States. 

Rodríguez, who served as vice president to Maduro and has vowed to work with the Trump administration, was appointed interim president. She was sworn in by her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, who was reelected as speaker.

‘I come with sorrow for the suffering inflicted upon the Venezuelan people following an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland,’ she said with her right hand up.

Guerra at the swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly in Caracas earlier today

Guerra, a member of parliament seen today in Caracas, now faces an uncertain political future

Maduro, left, and his wife, Cilia Flores, second from right, appear in Manhattan federal court with their defense attorneys Mark Donnelly, second from left, and Andres Sanchez, on Monday

Maduro, seen with Flores in 2024, has declared himself ‘innocent’ and a ‘decent man’

While Venezuelan lawmakers met, Maduro made his first court appearance in a US courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and taking him to New York.

Maduro declared himself ‘innocent’ and a ‘decent man’ as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug-trafficking charges.

The US seized Maduro and Flores in a military operation on Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base.

Donald Trump said America would ‘run’ Venezuela temporarily, but Marco Rubio said Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day, other than enforcing an existing ‘ oil quarantine.’

The Secretary of State said the US was using pressure on Venezuela’s oil industry as a way to push for policy changes.

‘We expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking,’ he told CBS.

‘We expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking,’ Rubio said on the network’s Face the Nation.

Rodríguez said Sunday that Venezuela is seeking ‘respectful relations’ with the US, a shift from a more defiant tone she struck in the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s capture. 

‘We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,’ Rodríguez said in a statement.

This image, posted on US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account on Saturday, shows Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima after the US military captured him 

Explosions tore across Caracas during the daring raid early Saturday morning as shown in a video posted by Trump on his Truth Social account

Her conciliatory message came after Trump threatened that she could ‘pay a very big price’ if she did not fall in line with US demands.

A State Department official said Monday that the Trump administration is making preliminary plans to reopen the American embassy in Venezuela.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said early preparations ‘to allow for a reopening’ of the embassy in Caracas had begun should Trump decide to return American diplomats to the country.