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Nicolás Maduro seeks dismissal of drug charges, claims immunity
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have requested a Manhattan federal court dismiss their drug trafficking indictment, claiming immunity as foreign leader and first lady.
- Their lawyers argue that no American court has ever tried a sitting head of state recognized by their own country, citing sovereign immunity as a long-standing legal principle.
- Maduro and Flores have been detained in Brooklyn since a U.S. raid in January and face trial on June 1, with oral arguments on dismissal motions set for November 17.
- Both deny the charges, which allege involvement in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine into the U.S., potentially carrying life sentences if convicted.
- U.S. prosecutors maintain Maduro orchestrated drug shipments with Venezuelan law enforcement, while Maduro calls his capture a kidnapping and himself a prisoner of war.
