Maduro and US prosecutors suggest June 2027 start for drug trafficking trial

Attorneys representing Nicolas Maduro alongside federal prosecutors have suggested a June 2027 beginning for his trial on drug trafficking accusations, pending approval from a federal judge.

Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others, at Downtown Manhattan Heliport, in New York City, US, January 5, 2026

(photo credit: Reuters/Adam Gray)

ByREUTERS

JULY 22, 2026 04:49

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and US Justice Department prosecutors proposed on Tuesday a June 2027 start for his criminal trial on drug trafficking charges.

The joint proposal arrived in a court filing before a hearing set for Wednesday at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) in Manhattan federal court. The document outlined a broad plan for upcoming steps in one of the most prominent criminal cases in recent US history.

US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who oversees the case, must finalize the schedule. The parties noted they could request adjustments later.

US Special Forces seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas during a nighttime operation in January and transported them to New York for the charges. They entered not guilty pleas.

In the filing, lawyers for both sides proposed that Maduro's initial legal motions seeking dismissal would be due September 2. This could include an argument for immunity from prosecution as head of a sovereign state.

Maduro prepares further motions in US drug trafficking case

Maduro would then submit a second set of legal motions by January 11, following prosecutors' delivery of any classified evidence to the defense, per the filing.

Maduro, a socialist with a tense history with Washington during his leadership of Venezuela from 2013 until his capture, called himself a "prisoner of war" at his January 5 appearance. He has repeatedly claimed the United States sought his removal to secure greater access to the nation's extensive oil reserves.

The United States describes Maduro as a corrupt dictator whose economic mismanagement caused collapse and accuses him of falsifying reelection results in 2018 and 2024. It ceased recognizing him as Venezuela's legitimate president in 2019.

Maduro and Flores have remained in a federal jail in Brooklyn since their arrival in the US in January.