Maduro, US prosecutors seek June 2027 trial in drug case
What's next: A judge could set deadlines this week for immunity motions, classified evidence reviews and other pretrial filings.
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and U.S. prosecutors have asked a federal judge in Manhattan to start his criminal trial in June 2027 on narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges. A joint court filing ahead of a Wednesday hearing also proposed a September deadline for Maduro's motion to dismiss the case on sovereign immunity grounds, with additional pretrial motions due in January after defense lawyers review classified evidence. Judge Alvin Hellerstein will decide the schedule. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were brought to New York after a U.S. operation in Caracas in January and have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors accuse them of helping cartels move thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States.