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Venezuela's Maduro gets June 1 trial date in drug trafficking case
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- A trial date of June 1 was set for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who face drug trafficking charges in New York after being seized in a U.S. military raid.
- Both Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty and face potential life sentences if convicted of conspiracy to traffic cocaine into the U.S.
- Defense lawyers plan to file motions in September challenging the indictment, including a key argument based on sovereign immunity and the legality of Maduro’s capture.
- The U.S. government describes the operation as a lawful law enforcement action, while Maduro claims he is a prisoner of war and calls the raid a kidnapping.
- Maduro and Flores remain in Brooklyn jail and have not sought bail; their lawyers emphasize complex legal defenses must be resolved before trial.
