US judge sets 2027 trial date for Venezuela’s Maduro and wife

A US judge has scheduled a trial for former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, for June 1, 2027. Both have pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges. The couple was brought to the US following a military operation in January 2026, which Maduro's lawyer plans to challenge on grounds of sovereign immunity and the legality of the raid. The Trump administration alleges Maduro was part of a conspiracy to traffic cocaine. Maduro faces charges including "narco-terrorism" and cocaine importation conspiracy, with a potential life sentence if convicted. Neither has requested bail.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are appearing in court for a pre-trial hearing in a US drug-trafficking case. Both have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to send cocaine into the United States. They were apprehended by US forces in a raid on their Caracas home in early January and have been held at a Brooklyn jail since then. Maduro's legal team intends to contest the legality of his "military abduction" and argues that complex legal defenses must be addressed before a trial can commence. The US administration has described the operation as a "surgical law enforcement operation" related to a case brought six years ago. A trial date has not yet been set.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are scheduled to appear in a US court on Wednesday for a hearing regarding their drug trafficking case. The hearing, before US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan federal court, will address the case's upcoming schedule, potentially including a trial start date in June 2027. This proceeding could clarify the next steps in what is described as a high-profile criminal case. The article states that US Special Forces captured Maduro and Flores at their Caracas home during a January 3 raid ordered by President Donald Trump.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is returning to court in New York for a pretrial hearing in his U.S. drug trafficking case. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from their Caracas home by U.S. forces in January and brought to Brooklyn, where they have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to send cocaine into the U.S. The Trump administration has described the operation as a "surgical law enforcement operation," while Maduro considers himself a prisoner of war. U.S. prosecutors allege Maduro colluded with Venezuelan law enforcement to facilitate drug kingpin operations. Maduro's lawyers plan to contest the legality of his capture, arguing for complex legal defenses to be addressed before a trial date is set by Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.