Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will stand trial in the United States on 1 June 2027 after a federal judge in New York set a date for proceedings in a high-profile drug trafficking case.
The couple have pleaded not guilty to charges accusing them of participating in a conspiracy to traffic large quantities of cocaine into the United States. If convicted, they could face life imprisonment.
During a brief hearing in Manhattan, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein approved the trial schedule and directed both sides to begin pre-trial legal proceedings in the coming months. Defence lawyers are expected to challenge both the indictment and the legality of Maduro’s capture, arguing that he is entitled to sovereign immunity.
U.S. prosecutors allege that Maduro and Flores worked with drug traffickers and elements of Venezuela’s security forces to facilitate cocaine shipments bound for the United States. The pair have consistently denied the allegations, insisting they are politically motivated.
The case is expected to draw significant international attention as it involves a former foreign head of state facing criminal prosecution in a U.S. court, with legal arguments likely to focus on issues of jurisdiction, international law and presidential immunity.
