ANALYSIS: Is Nicholas Maduro a narco-terrorist?

Arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told a court in New York on Monday that he is still the president of his country and 'a good man'.

Maduro appeared alongside his wife and pleaded not guilty to various charges, including drug trafficking.

The couple was seized from their home in Caracas over the weekend.

The arrest by the US military has renewed debate over claims that he is deeply embroiled in organised crime and international drug trafficking.

Felipe Botero Escobar of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime said it is no secret that Venezuela has been operating as a transit point for neighbouring Colombia, the largest producer of cocaine in the world.

"The remaining point is, where is that cocaine going?"

Escobar said intel suggests much of the drugs are headed towards Europe.

"They are not necessarily going through the US."

US prosecutors allege that Maduro and other top officials spent years working with global drug gangs to move illegal drugs into the US, at the same time lining their own pockets.

"What we have also seen in recent years is that more criminal groups from Colombia are now operating on the other side of the border, meaning in Venezuela."

Escobar explained that it is also likely that Venezuela has moved from being largely a point of transit to also being a producer of cocaine and a distribution hub.

The US claims that Maduro is at the centre of such illegal operations.

"What we do know about Venezuela is that it is one of the countries that has the biggest score on state-embedded actors. It ranks 7th worldwide."

The ranking demonstrates how entrenched politicians are in organisedcrime in the country, said Escobar.

Meanwhile, the South African government has strongly condemned the US' military operation in Venezuela.

Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), said on Monday that Pretoria views the US operation as creating a devastating precedent for the rules-based system of international relations.

To listen to Escobar in conversation with CapeTalk's John Maytham, use the audio player below: