Maduro drug trafficking trial proposed for June 2027 in New York

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and US Justice Department prosecutors have jointly proposed a June 2027 start date for his criminal trial on drug trafficking charges in New York. The proposal was submitted in a court filing ahead of a hearing scheduled for today in Manhattan federal court.

This filing offers a preliminary roadmap for the proceedings, which are considered among the most consequential in recent US history. US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, overseeing the case, will ultimately decide the trial schedule, though the parties indicated they might seek modifications.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by US Special Forces in Caracas in January and brought to New York to face charges. Both have pleaded not guilty. Lawyers for both sides suggested that initial legal motions to dismiss the case would be due on September 2, potentially including arguments for immunity as a head of state. A second round of motions would follow by January 11, after prosecutors provide classified evidence to the defense.

Maduro, a socialist who had a contentious relationship with Washington during his presidency from 2013 until his capture, referred to himself as a "prisoner of war" in January. He has consistently accused the US of attempting to remove him to seize control of Venezuela's extensive oil reserves. The US, in turn, labels Maduro a corrupt dictator whose economic mismanagement caused the country's collapse and accuses him of electoral fraud in 2018 and 2024. The US ceased recognizing him as Venezuela's legitimate president in 2019. Maduro and Flores have been detained in a federal jail in Brooklyn since their arrival in the US in January.

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prisoner of war