Maduro's US drug trafficking trial will begin on June 1, 2027

A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday set June 1, 2027, as the start date for the trial of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. The two defendants, held in a Brooklyn jail since January, face charges of drug trafficking and firearms offenses.

The hearing lasted only fifteen minutes. Neither Maduro nor his wife spoke. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein set the date at the request of both sides' lawyers, with a schedule stipulating that the defense would begin filing its motions in early September.

Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack, announced that he would first challenge the indictment on the grounds of sovereign immunity. He also intends to contest the legality of what he calls his client's "abduction" by the US military. The defense argues that several complex legal issues must be resolved before any trial can begin.

Maduro and Flores were arrested in a nighttime raid conducted by U.S. forces in January. Both have pleaded not guilty and face life imprisonment if convicted of conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States. Prosecutors allege that Maduro orchestrated the transit of thousands of tons of drugs, relying on Venezuelan law enforcement officials to facilitate cartel operations.

The Trump administration presented the operation as a "surgical operation by law enforcement" in a criminal case opened six years ago. Maduro, for his part, defines himself as a "prisoner of war" and contests the legitimacy of his capture. "I am not guilty. I am an honest man, the constitutional president of my country," he declared during his first court appearance in January.

The couple did not file a request for bail. Outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan, protesters held signs in support of the two detainees. In April, Washington also authorized Venezuela to fund their legal defense, a departure from the US sanctions that had previously prohibited it.