Ousted Venezuelan president Maduro to face US drug trafficking trial in June 2027

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores will face trial in the United States on June 1, 2027, on drug trafficking charges.

US prosecutors allege Maduro used his position to facilitate cocaine shipments into the United States, and he faces four felony counts including narcoterrorism conspiracy.

If convicted, Maduro and Flores could receive life imprisonment.

The defense plans to challenge the indictment on grounds of sovereign immunity and the legality of Maduro's capture, which they describe as a 'military abduction'.

Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty and are held at a jail in Brooklyn since being captured during a US military raid in Caracas in January.