SerpApi.Org
Though questions of whether President Donald Trump’s January capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were truly legal remain, a federal judge ruled Wednesday that the pair will face trial next June on the narcoterrorism and machine gun possession charges on which Trump nabbed them.
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein agreed to a request jointly submitted by government prosecutors and Maduro’s defense team to start the trial on June 1, 2027, telling both sides to let him know in advance if they thought there would be any chance the date would need to be pushed back.
Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to four counts of narcotics trafficking and weapons charges in Manhattan’s federal court January, days after Trump launched a middle-of-the-night mission to capture and transport Maduro and Flores to New York to try them in a drug trafficking case that had been pending in the Southern District of New York for roughly 15 years and Maduro’s been a named defendant in the case since 2020.
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During his first appearance, Maduro told the court he was “a decent man” and had been “kidnapped” by Trump. His attorney, Barry Pollack, had briefly contested the legality of the indictment and kidnapping at that first hearing.
Both sides agreed Wednesday that a pre-trial hearing over those arguments — such as that Maduro is an active head of state and should be granted immunity — would take place Nov. 17.
All other pre-trial arguments must be submitted to the court by March 11, the judge ordered.
Though Hellerstein questioned whether they would be prepared to go to trial next June, Pollock — who previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — Flores’ attorney, Mark Donnelly and assistant U.S. attorney Henry Ross said they thought it was a realistic schedule that “would not slip.”
The trial date comes after a months-long argument over whether the Venezuelan government would be allowed to pay for Maduro’s defense was settled in the South American leader’s favor.
After Hellerstein said in March that he might consider dismissing Maduro’s case if the judge determined Maduro should be allowed to use Venezuela's money to pay for his defense and the U.S. still prevented him from doing so (something U.S. attorneys floated as a possibility), all parties agreed in April via court filings that Maduro could use Venezuelan coffers to fund his defense.
Protesters gather outside the court during Maduro hearing
Outside of the federal courthouse, a cluster of about two dozen protesters calling for Maduro’s release gathered, flying Venezuela’s colors and brandishing picket signs. The group included Tom Burke, who said he traveled to the Big Apple from Michigan for the demonstration, and called President Donald Trump a criminal.
“We think it's wrong that President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are detained at all. We view it as a kidnapping and an actual crime by Trump and the U.S. government. So, we're hoping today inside the court that there's a motion to have it go to an international arbitration, which the New York Times wrote about yesterday, and that should put an end to this,” Burke said. “It’s all about the oil for Venezuela and other minerals that they want to take. It’s an armed robbery.”
The pro-Maduro activists consisted of members of left-wing organizations such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Black Alliance for Peace and Brooklyn Against War.
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Several Venezuelan natives also arrived outside 500 Pearl St. in Lower Manhattan, and while their numbers were small, they charged that the protesters didn't speak for them.
Wilmer Contreres told amNewYork that his people suffered greatly under Maduro.
“It's very sad, very, very offensive to us because they don't know how much we suffer in my country and how the condition in my country is right now. It's a criminal government, it's a drug government. They never take care of the people, there's not enough food for people to survive, even to eat three meals a day,” Contreres said. “My family is there, and it is no way to live.”
At one point, tensions between the dueling protests boiled over. Venezuelan natives began shouting at the pro-Maduro activists. Only a few moments later, the sympathizers dispersed, briefly relocating a few blocks away.
Anti-Maduro protesters wrapped in Venezuelan flags repeatedly told their opposition that they were “supporting a violent criminal” and “know nothing about what’s going on in Venezuela,” telling them to “get out.”
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Venezuelan native Rafael Escal told amNewYork that he is happy that Maduro was removed, but is still just as furious that Delcy Rodríguez took his place.
“She was the vice president under Nicolas Maduro. She is no better, and today she is leading Venezuela with the help of Donald Trump and Marco Rubio. That is unacceptable, and we demand freedom,” said Escal, who still has family in the country. “She's responsible for the more than 8 million refugees that are Venezuelan refugees that are now scattered throughout the region and throughout the world. She's responsible for human rights violations, and it is unacceptable that she continues to be there now.”
