Maduro, US prosecutors propose June 2027 start for drug trafficking trial

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. The proposal, filed ahead of a Wednesday hearing in Manhattan federal court, outlines potential next steps in the high-profile case.

US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein will ultimately decide the trial schedule. Lawyers for both sides indicated they might seek modifications. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in Caracas in January and brought to New York to face charges, to which they have pleaded not guilty.

The filing suggests that initial legal motions, potentially including a bid to dismiss the case based on sovereign immunity, would be due by September 2. A second round of motions is expected by January 11, following the prosecution's handover of classified evidence.

Maduro, who led Venezuela from 2013 until his capture and had an adversarial relationship with Washington, has called himself a "prisoner of war." He has long accused the US of seeking his ouster to control Venezuela's oil reserves. The US, however, labels Maduro a corrupt dictator whose policies caused economic collapse and accuses him of election rigging.

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prisoner of war