Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s ousted president seized in a US military raid earlier this year, is set to face trial in New York on 1 June 2027 after a federal judge approved a proposed timetable for the high-profile drug-trafficking case.
Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom for a hearing focused on the case schedule.
The proceeding took place before US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan federal court.
US commandos captured Mr Maduro, 63, and Ms Flores, 69, at their heavily guarded home in Caracas during a nighttime raid on 3 January ordered by President Donald Trump.
After being flown to New York, the pair faced charges stemming from a prior indictment alleging they used their leadership roles in the oil-rich South American country to facilitate cocaine shipments. Both have pleaded not guilty. No trial date had been set.
In a court filing last night, prosecutors in the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office and Mr Maduro’s defence team jointly proposed that the trial begin in June 2027.
Judge Hellerstein adopted the schedule, though lawyers for both sides indicated they may later ask to modify it.
Mr Maduro is charged with four felony counts, including narcoterrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy, and could receive a life sentence if convicted.
The filing outlines an initial round of motions seeking dismissal of the case, due on 2 September.
Attorneys said those filings would likely include an argument that Mr Maduro should be shielded from prosecution on the grounds of sovereign immunity as a head of state.
At Mr Maduro’s first court appearance on 5 January, defence lawyer Barry Pollack also raised the prospect of attacking the indictment by arguing that Mr Maduro’s capture may not have been legal.
Mr Maduro, a socialist who maintained a hostile relationship with Washington while leading Venezuela from 2013 until his capture, described himself as a “prisoner of war” during the 5 January hearing.
He has repeatedly accused the United States of trying to remove him from power to secure greater control over the OPEC nation’s vast oil reserves.
US officials, for their part, have labelled Mr Maduro a corrupt dictator, blaming his economic mismanagement for Venezuela’s collapse and accusing him of rigging the 2018 and 2024 reelection votes. The United States stopped recognising him as Venezuela’s legitimate president in 2019.
Before the January operation, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel issued an advisory opinion stating President Trump could lawfully order the raid without Congress because it advanced an important national interest and did not amount to a war requiring congressional authorisation.
The filing also sets out a second round of motions, potentially due by 11 January 2027, to follow prosecutors’ handover of any classified evidence for review by the defence.
Mr Maduro last appeared in court on 26 March amid a dispute over the US government’s ban on Venezuela’s government paying his legal fees.
The issue was settled a month later after the US government agreed to adjust its financial sanctions on Venezuela to permit payment of the fees.
Since Mr Maduro’s capture, Venezuela has been led by former Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who has moved to cultivate closer ties with the Trump administration.
The United States has eased sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry, and foreign companies have widened oil and gas projects inside the country.
