A United States court has scheduled the trial for ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, for June 1, 2027. The pair has been detained in a Brooklyn facility for over seven months following their capture by U.S. forces during a clandestine military operation in Caracas on January 3.
During a brief hearing on Wednesday, Judge Alvin Hellerstein established the trial date based on a mutual agreement between prosecution and defense teams. Both Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to various federal charges, including drug trafficking and firearms violations. The couple appeared in court wearing beige prison uniforms, with Maduro remaining silent throughout the proceedings aside from a brief greeting.
Outside the Manhattan courthouse, conflicting groups of protesters demonstrated, with some supporting the former president and others labeling the couple as dictators. A separate hearing is set for November 17 to address defense motions, specifically regarding the legality of the military operation that resulted in their detention.
Since the change in leadership, Delcy Rodriguez has been heading Venezuela, while the U.S. manages the nation’s oil export revenue. Prosecutors contend that Maduro utilized his official position to facilitate cocaine smuggling and collaborate with cartels. In addition to these criminal charges, Maduro is facing a civil lawsuit alleging his involvement in extrajudicial killings carried out by the Special Action Forces (FAES) between 2017 and 2020.
