Assange's Lawyer Barry Pollack to Defend Captured Maduro in U.S. Narco-Terrorism Case

In a twist that exposes the tangled web of global intrigue and American justice, the lawyer who freed Julian Assange now stands ready to defend a captured dictator.

Barry Pollack, the Washington-based attorney who represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and negotiated his 2024 plea deal, will defend ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro against U.S. narcotics charges.

Maduro, 63, appeared in Manhattan federal court Monday and pleaded not guilty to a four-count indictment accusing him of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and firearms-related offenses.

U.S. authorities captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a military raid on Caracas over the weekend.

Agents flew him by helicopter to a Manhattan heliport, then transferred him in an armored vehicle under heavy DEA security.

He wore a tan prison jumpsuit and bright orange shoes, limping slightly as agents escorted him.

Pollack filed his notice of appearance Monday ahead of the arraignment.

He signaled plans to challenge what he called Maduro's "military abduction," arguing the operation was unlawful.

Pollack may also assert head-of-state immunity, though U.S. courts typically reject such claims when the government does not recognize the leader. Washington has not acknowledged Maduro since 2019, citing fraudulent elections.

"The United States has an extraordinary view of what its worldwide jurisdiction is," Pollack told the legal site Lawdragon in an interview last year about the Assange case.

The indictment, unsealed earlier, alleges Maduro and allies abused public trust for over 25 years to import tons of cocaine into the United States, collaborating with guerrillas, cartels, and gangs, including Tren de Aragua.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, assigned to oversee the 2020 indictment, presided over the arraignment.

A separate attorney, Mark Donnelly of Houston, appeared for Flores.

Pollack, a partner at Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler LLP and former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, has handled high-profile cases involving national security, public corruption, and financial crimes.

He previously represented a former CIA officer and secured an acquittal for an Enron executive.

President Trump's decision to authorize the raid and remove Maduro has split his political base in unprecedented fashion.

Supporters largely applaud the arrest of the accused narco-dictator. Yet vehement backlash erupts over Trump's admission that his administration intends to "run" Venezuela temporarily and engage in nation-building, echoing past interventions, while domestic crises fester from the Biden era's legacy: continued foreign aid outflows amid persistent high inflation and grocery prices, stalled mass deportations, no prosecutions of perceived deep-state figures or Epstein client list revelations, unchecked border inflows despite promises, lingering cultural grievances over military social policies and no major deep-state prosecutions despite promises.

"We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end—and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into. My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier," Trump's pledged in his second inaugural address.

Maduro, at least, learned the hard way: FAFO.

But, the venture risks entangling America in another endless quagmire, betraying the America First mandate while borders bleed, wallets empty and justice at home stalls.

The swamp's revolving door spins faster than ever, as Assange's liberator shields a drug lord tyrant, while America First looks like it's morphing into America Everywhere.