A US federal judge has scheduled a June 1, 2027, trial for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges, following a joint proposal by prosecutors and the defence filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.
Maduro faces four counts including narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracy, while Flores is charged alongside him. Both pleaded not guilty and have accused the United States of kidnapping. Maduro's legal team plans to challenge the case on sovereign immunity grounds, with defence motions due in September and a second round by January 2027. The couple are held in a Brooklyn detention facility.
US special forces captured Maduro and Flores in Caracas on January 3, 2026, in a military operation ordered by President Donald Trump that Venezuelan authorities say killed 83 people. Judge Alvin Hellerstein approved the trial schedule.