Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, accused of drug trafficking, will be tried on June 1, 2027.

The trial of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, accused of drug trafficking, has been set for June 1, 2027, according to a preliminary hearing held at a federal court in Manhattan.

Captured by U.S. authorities in Caracas, Maduro has been in detention in a Brooklyn jail since January 3, facing four charges, including narco-terrorism. His wife, Cilia Flores, is targeted by three charges, and both deny the allegations.

The announcement comes after the U.S. government authorized Venezuela to pay its legal expenses, a measure previously blocked due to international sanctions.

Maduro has self-styled himself as a "prisoner of war" in his first court appearance.

In addition to the criminal charges, the families of five young people killed in Venezuela have filed a civil lawsuit against him, accusing him of ordering executions as part of a state-sponsored violence mechanism.

Currently, interim president Delcy Rodriguez is governing under pressure from Washington.