US Court Schedules Venezuela’s Maduro Trial for June 2027
NEW YORK — A US court has set a June 2027 trial date for Venezuela’s ousted president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who have been held in a Brooklyn jail since their capture by US military forces in a January raid.
Judge Alvin Hellerstein scheduled the trial for June 1 following a joint request from prosecutors and defense counsel. Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking and firearms charges.
The former leader, 63, and his wife were seized from their Caracas compound on January 3 in a combined naval, air, and ground operation that deposed the strongman who had led Venezuela since 2013.
US prosecutors allege Maduro used state power to protect drug smuggling and allied with cartels to ship cocaine into the United States. Flores faces similar charges. Maduro has denied the four counts against him, which include narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.
A November 17 hearing has been set for defense motions, including a challenge to the legality of the capture. Maduro has described himself as a “prisoner of war” and said he was “kidnapped.”
Maduro also faces a civil case in the US after families of five young men slain in Venezuela alleged he ordered extrajudicial killings through an elite security force. Both of Maduro’s re-elections in 2018 and 2024 were rejected as fraudulent by numerous countries, including the United States.
Since Maduro’s capture, Venezuela has been led by his former vice president Delcy Rodriguez, while the US effectively controls the country’s oil exports through special accounts. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse in Manhattan, waving Venezuelan flags and holding signs both in support of and opposition to the former president.
Also Read:
NBK Crosses $1 Billion Net Profit Mark Driven by Strong Loan Growth
Mamdani Calls for Federal Response as Netanyahu Arrest Debate Grows
