Maduro was escorted in front of a federal judge in Lower Manhattan for the first hearing in his criminal case, kicking off an extraordinary legal battle that could take months or longer before a trial begins.

Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, who is charged with him, also entered the courtroom. Both were wearing headphones in court for translation purposes. The hearing began with the judge reading the charges against Maduro and his wife.

In an indictment released over the weekend, the US government accused Maduro of conspiring to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the country. The toppling of Maduro reverberated around the world and signaled President Donald Trump’s willingness to reconfigure the global order.

After Maduro was captured in the military operation early Saturday, he and his wife were transported to the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. On Monday morning, they arrived by helicopter at a Manhattan heliport before he was taken to the courthouse for the hearing.

US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, 92, will preside over the case and oversee an eventual trial before a jury of New York citizens. The judge is expected to order Maduro to remain in jail and may set a calender for lawyers to file pre-trial legal motions.

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