A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday set a trial date of June 1, 2027, for former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a case alleging involvement in a drug-trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy. The scheduling took place during a short hearing in a crowded Manhattan courtroom and marked Maduro's first court appearance in the United States since March.
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein established the date as prosecutors continue to assert that Maduro - who was captured by the U.S. military on January 3, 2026 - held a central role in a plot to move cocaine into the United States. The charges also extend to Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, who faces related counts.
Both Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, entered not guilty pleas at the proceeding. They appeared in tan prison clothing and used headphones to receive a Spanish translation of the roughly 15-minute hearing. Maduro has maintained that his capture was unlawful.
The judge signed off on a pretrial schedule that obliges U.S. prosecutors to provide evidence to Maduro's defense team. The timetable also builds in two rounds of pretrial motions that defense counsel may use to seek dismissal of charges or to limit the types of evidence that can be presented at trial.
In January, Maduro's attorney informed the court that the defense anticipated filing extensive legal documents described as lengthy and complex. Among those expected filings is an argument asserting that Maduro enjoys immunity from prosecution by virtue of having been a head of a sovereign nation.
The hearing itself was brief but consequential for the trajectory of the case. With the court calendar now set, the next phase will involve exchanges of evidence and formal pretrial litigation over procedural and evidentiary matters. The schedule provides the structure for how and when the government must deliver materials to the defense and when Maduro's legal team may raise challenges to the indictment or to specific items of proof.
Details on the contents of the forthcoming filings or on the government's evidence were not disclosed at the hearing. The court appearance did not resolve substantive legal questions such as the validity of Maduro's capture or the merits of an immunity claim; it primarily set dates and procedural steps that will govern the case through to trial.
Both defendants remain in custody and have pleaded not guilty. The timeline set by Judge Hellerstein frames a lengthy pretrial period during which motions, evidence exchanges, and legal briefing will proceed ahead of the June 1, 2027 trial date.