Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are scheduled to stand trial on drug trafficking charges beginning June 1, 2027, a U.S. judge announced Wednesday. The trial date was set by Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein in a New York federal court at the joint request of both the prosecution and defense teams.

Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, have been held in a Brooklyn detention facility since their arrest in early January. Their apprehension followed a nighttime operation in Caracas carried out by U.S. forces, who removed the couple from power and transferred them to the United States. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which allege involvement in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine into the United States. If convicted, they face the possibility of life imprisonment.

During the 15-minute hearing, Maduro and Flores remained silent, sitting separately at defense tables and flanked by their attorneys. Maduro appeared noticeably thinner than in previous public appearances, dressed in a tan jail uniform and wearing glasses and a thick mustache. He followed the proceedings through Spanish interpretation headsets, occasionally taking notes and displaying a calm demeanor as he interacted with his legal team.

Following the hearing, a pretrial schedule was outlined. Defense lawyers will begin filing motions to challenge the indictment starting in early September. The next court session, set for November 17, will address oral arguments related to these motions. Maduro’s legal team has indicated plans to contest the indictment on sovereign immunity grounds, arguing that if successful, this challenge could halt the progression of the case without proceeding to trial.

The United States government, including the Trump administration at the time of the operation, has defended the raid as a targeted law enforcement action linked to a criminal investigation initiated six years prior. U.S. prosecutors assert that Maduro orchestrated a scheme involving collusion with Venezuelan law enforcement officials to facilitate the shipment of large quantities of cocaine into the U.S.

Maduro has consistently denied the charges, asserting his innocence and referring to himself as Venezuela’s constitutional president. He has described his capture as a kidnapping and a violation of international law, with his legal representatives emphasizing the complex jurisdictional and legal issues raised by the circumstances of his arrest.

Neither Maduro nor Flores has requested bail as the legal process advances toward the scheduled trial date.