By — Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press By — Larry Neumeister, Associated Press Larry Neumeister, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/venezuelas-nicolas-maduro-back-to-court-for-pretrial-hearing-in-his-u-s-drug-trafficking-case Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro back to court for pretrial hearing in his U.S. drug trafficking case World Jul 22, 2026 11:29 AM EDT NEW YORK (AP) — Nicolás Maduro returns to court with his lawyers Wednesday and is expected to continue objecting to the U.S. military action that snatched the Venezuelan president from power and deposited him in New York to face drug trafficking charges. Maduro, 63, and his wife Cilia Flores, 69, have been held at a Brooklyn jail ever since U.S. forces seized them from their Caracas home in a stunning middle-of-the-night raid and brought them to New York in early January. WATCH: Soldier's arrest over Polymarket bet on Maduro raid fuels insider trading concerns Both have pleaded not guilty. They face potential life prison sentences if a jury agrees that they were part of a conspiracy to send cocaine into the U.S. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. President Donald Trump's administration has defended the raid as a "surgical law enforcement operation" in a criminal case first brought six years ago. Maduro has called himself a prisoner of war and his capture a kidnapping. U.S. prosecutors say Maduro carried out a conspiracy to move thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. by colluding with Venezuelan law enforcement to help drug kingpins. READ MORE: Venezuela deports Maduro ally to U.S. for criminal proceedings "I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country," he said in Spanish at his arraignment in January. Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack, has said he expects to contest the legality of Maduro's "military abduction." The lawyers have said there are complex legal defenses that the court must address before a trial can begin. Maduro and Flores have not asked to be released on bail. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein has yet to set a trial date. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press By — Larry Neumeister, Associated Press Larry Neumeister, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Nicolás Maduro returns to court with his lawyers Wednesday and is expected to continue objecting to the U.S. military action that snatched the Venezuelan president from power and deposited him in New York to face drug trafficking charges. Maduro, 63, and his wife Cilia Flores, 69, have been held at a Brooklyn jail ever since U.S. forces seized them from their Caracas home in a stunning middle-of-the-night raid and brought them to New York in early January. WATCH: Soldier's arrest over Polymarket bet on Maduro raid fuels insider trading concerns Both have pleaded not guilty. They face potential life prison sentences if a jury agrees that they were part of a conspiracy to send cocaine into the U.S. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. President Donald Trump's administration has defended the raid as a "surgical law enforcement operation" in a criminal case first brought six years ago. Maduro has called himself a prisoner of war and his capture a kidnapping. U.S. prosecutors say Maduro carried out a conspiracy to move thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. by colluding with Venezuelan law enforcement to help drug kingpins. READ MORE: Venezuela deports Maduro ally to U.S. for criminal proceedings "I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country," he said in Spanish at his arraignment in January. Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack, has said he expects to contest the legality of Maduro's "military abduction." The lawyers have said there are complex legal defenses that the court must address before a trial can begin. Maduro and Flores have not asked to be released on bail. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein has yet to set a trial date. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now