Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores are scheduled to stand trial in New York on June 1, 2027, for drug and weapon offenses.

A New York federal judge ruled Wednesday that the criminal trial of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will begin on June 1, 2027. The pair were captured by US forces during a January military raid in Caracas and brought to New York to face charges of narco-terrorism and conspiring with drug cartels to facilitate cocaine flow into the United States. Both Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to the charges. Defense attorney Barry Pollack indicated he will argue that Nicolás Maduro should be protected by sovereign immunity as a former head of state. While the trial date is set, the judge noted that the schedule may shift depending on the processing of classified information. The trial follows a period of shifting diplomacy. The administration announced a warming of ties with Venezuela under acting president Delcy Rodríguez, which included loosening sanctions. While some rioters and anti-war protesters have criticized the military operation that captured the couple, others have praised the move as a necessary step to address the country's long-standing issues.

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