A U.S. federal judge has scheduled the trial of Venezuelan President Nicolás
Maduro on U.S. drug‑trafficking charges to start June 1, 2027. On Jan. 3 the
U.S. launched a military operation in Venezuela, seized Maduro and his wife and
brought them to the United States; the Department of Justice has charged them
with drug trafficking. The couple appeared Jan. 5 in the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of New York and pleaded not guilty. Maduro is being held
at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The detentions have drawn
broad international condemnation and warnings that the action could threaten
peace and stability in Latin America.