Venezuela’s former President Nicolas Maduro pleads not guilty to drug charges; lawyer plans to challenge legality of US military operation.
Published On 22 Jul 2026
A United States judge has set a trial date for former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, both abducted from the South American country during a US military attack in January 2026.
Judge Alvin Hellerstein set a trial date on Wednesday for June 1, 2027. Both Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges while denying the basic legitimacy of the trial.
Neither spoke during the 15-minute court hearing. The administration of US President Donald Trump has justified its military raid on Caracas in January and its abduction of the couple, widely termed illegal by international legal scholars, by alleging that Maduro was part of a conspiracy to traffic cocaine to the US in his capacity as head of state.
“I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country,” Maduro said in his arraignment in January.
Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said that he expects to challenge the legality of the military raid to capture Maduro and bring him to the US for trial. He stated on Wednesday that he would first challenge the case on grounds of sovereign immunity, which, if successful, would mean that Maduro no longer has to litigate the case.
Neither Maduro nor Flores has asked to be released on bail, and Judge Hellerstein set next year’s trial date at the request of attorneys from both sides.
Maduro faces four counts, including “narco-terrorism” conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy, and could face life in prison if convicted. The Trump administration has often used concerns about drug trafficking to assert its influence in countries across Latin America.
The Trump administration has called the attack on Venezuela, which Venezuelan authorities say killed 83 people, a “surgical law enforcement operation” in a criminal case first put forward six years ago.
The Venezuelan presidency has since been filled by interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who has aligned the country more closely with US interests.
