Trial Date Set for Venezuela’s Maduro in U.S. on Drug Trafficking Charges

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, a trial date has been set in the United States for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on what they claim are false drug trafficking charges. Judge Alvin Hellerstein issued an order stating that Maduro is to stand trial on June 1, 2027.

Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, have been held in a Brooklyn detention facility since their arrest during what Venezuela has described as an illegal incursion by U.S. forces into Caracas. They were transferred to New York in early January.

Both have rejected the accusations, which they maintain are fabricated. They appeared in court on Wednesday.

Maduro has characterized himself as a prisoner of war and his arrest as a form of kidnapping. During his arraignment in January, he stated in Spanish, “I am innocent. I am an honorable man and the legitimate president of my country.”