Nicolas Maduro set for US drug trafficking trial in June 2027

Nicolas Maduro set for US drug trafficking trial in June 2027

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores will go on trial in the United States in June 2027, a court has ruled, after the US military abducted them in a nighttime raid in January. The trial, set to begin on June 1, 2027, will be one of the most consequential criminal cases in recent American history.

Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, were captured by US commandos at their heavily guarded home in Caracas during a January 3 nighttime military raid ordered by President Donald Trump. They were brought to New York, where they previously had been indicted on charges of using their leadership positions in the oil-rich South American country to facilitate cocaine shipments. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include narcoterrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.

During a hearing on Wednesday, Judge Alvin Hellerstein set the trial date, following a joint request from prosecutors and defense counsel. Defense lawyer Barry Pollack said he would seek to dismiss the case on the basis that Maduro should be immune from prosecution as the head of a sovereign state. Pollack also suggested that the defense could challenge the indictment on the basis that Maduro's capture may not have been legal.

Maduro faces four felony counts, including narcoterrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy. He could face a life sentence if convicted. The former Venezuelan leader has long accused the United States of seeking his ouster to gain greater control of the OPEC nation's vast oil reserves. The United States has called Maduro a corrupt dictator whose mismanagement of the economy led to an economic collapse, and accused him of rigging his re-election votes in 2018 and 2024.

Since Maduro's capture, Venezuela has been led by his former Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who has established closer ties with the Trump administration. The United States has eased sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry, and foreign companies have expanded oil and gas projects in the country. The US government has also modified its financial sanctions on Venezuela to allow the government to pay Maduro's legal fees, following a dispute that was resolved in April.

Protesters gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse, waving Venezuelan flags and holding signs reading "Free President Maduro". Maduro referred to himself as a "prisoner of war" during his first court appearance on January 5. He waved to someone in the courtroom's gallery while being led out of the courtroom by US marshals after Wednesday's hearing.

Judge Hellerstein set a September 2 deadline for Maduro's first round of legal motions seeking to have the case dismissed, as well as a November 17 hearing for arguments over those motions. Maduro's lawyers will also have until January 11, 2027, to file a second round of motions, after prosecutors hand over evidence, some of which is expected to be classified, for the defense's review.

Maduro also faces a civil case in the United States, after the families of five young men slain in Venezuela alleged that he ordered the extrajudicial killings.