Federal Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of Manhattan District Court in New York has set June 1, 2027 as the date when former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will stand trial in the United States on charges of international drug trafficking.
The decision was made during a 15-minute preliminary hearing held this Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
According to the schedule approved by the federal court, the defense team will begin filing formal motions to challenge the indictment in early September. The couple will then return to the courtroom on November 17 for oral arguments on the motions.
Regarding their stance and the course of the hearing, it is reported that neither of them spoke during the 15-minute hearing on Wednesday, while each of them sat separately at a defense table, surrounded by their lawyers. Both have pleaded not guilty.
If found guilty by a jury of conspiring and aiding drug lords to ship thousands of tons of cocaine to the US, Maduro (63) and Flores (69) face life in prison.
Defense strategy and claims of the parties
Since their capture by US forces during a midnight military operation at their home in Caracas in early January, the two have been held in a Brooklyn jail.
While President Donald Trump's administration has defended the action as a "law enforcement surgical operation," Maduro's defense considers his capture a military kidnapping.
Regarding the first legal steps that the defense will take, Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack, stated that "he will first oppose the indictment on the grounds of sovereign immunity, because if this is successful, Maduro will not have to continue to try the case."
During the hearing, dozens of people gathered outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan, where they reacted with banners and chants from both supporters and critics of the former Venezuelan president.
