Maduro and his wife will be tried in June 2027

WashingtonThe president of Venezuela detained in North American territory, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, will be tried for drug trafficking on June 1, 2027, in the United States. Judge Alvin Hellerstein set the date during Wednesday's hearing in the Manhattan court. Both the defense and the prosecution had previously submitted requests for the trial to begin on June 1 of next year.

During the first hearing before the judge, the couple had already pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them by the U.S. Department of Justice. Maduro and Flores were arrested in the early morning of January 3 amidst a U.S. military operation in Caracas, which resulted in the deaths of at least 67 civilians. The unilateral action by Washington provoked the indignation of the international community because it constituted a violation of international law.

One of the strategies of Maduro's defense lawyer, Barry Pollack, is to appeal to the illegality of the conditions under which he was captured. During Wednesday's hearing, the magistrate – who also handled Julian Assange's defense – told the judge that the Chavista should have immunity as the head of a sovereign state. Maduro faces charges of conspiracy and narcoterrorism, which could lead to a life sentence.

Accompanied by Flores, Maduro appeared in court this morning wearing khaki overalls and escorted by two U.S. Marshals. Journalists present in the room say he looked well, although thinner than at his last appearance.

Since the couple was captured in early January, the United States has kept them locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, and they are expected to remain there until the trials. The correctional facility, which houses approximately 1,336 inmates, is known as "hell on earth".Since the abduction of the Venezuelan leader, Venezuela has become a kind of US protectorate under the government of Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's vice president, who has become head of state since the US intervention. During this time, Washington has launched a program to extract Venezuelan oil. According to the Financial Times, the administration has already collected about 13 billion dollars and points out that the government has given contradictory versions of what it has done with this money.