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A federal judge has scheduled the drug trafficking trial of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, for June 1, setting the stage for a high-profile courtroom battle as the couple continues to challenge the legality of the U.S. military operation that removed them from power and brought them to the United States.

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein announced the trial date Wednesday after attorneys for both the prosecution and defense agreed to the proposed schedule. Beginning in early September, defense lawyers are expected to file motions seeking dismissal of the indictment. The couple is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 17 for oral arguments on those motions.

Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, have remained in custody at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn since U.S. forces conducted a pre-dawn raid at their Caracas residence in early January and transported them to New York.

Neither defendant addressed the court during Wednesday’s brief 15-minute hearing. Seated separately at defense tables alongside their legal teams, both have pleaded not guilty to charges alleging they participated in a conspiracy to funnel cocaine into the United States. If convicted, they could each face life imprisonment.

Before the hearing began, Maduro greeted court personnel and shook hands with attorneys representing both himself and his wife. Wearing a tan jail uniform and appearing noticeably slimmer, the former Venezuelan leader smiled, spoke casually with his attorney, and appeared relaxed despite the proceedings.

Throughout the hearing, Maduro listened to a live Spanish translation through headphones. With his hands clasped in front of him for much of the proceeding, he occasionally took notes on a white legal pad using a black pen. As deputy U.S. marshals escorted him from the courtroom, he waved toward someone seated in the gallery.

The Trump administration has defended the January operation, characterizing it as a “surgical law enforcement operation” tied to a criminal case first filed six years earlier. Maduro, however, has insisted that he is a prisoner of war and has described his capture as a kidnapping.

Federal prosecutors allege that Maduro orchestrated a long-running conspiracy to send thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States by working with elements of Venezuelan law enforcement to assist major drug traffickers.

“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 attorney, Barry Pollack, has said he intends to challenge what he calls Maduro’s “military abduction,” arguing that the circumstances surrounding his client’s capture raise significant legal questions.

Addressing the court on Wednesday, Pollack said his first objective will be to seek dismissal of the indictment on sovereign immunity grounds. If that argument succeeds, he said, Maduro would no longer be required to defend himself against the criminal charges.

Defense attorneys have maintained that the case presents numerous complicated legal issues that must be resolved before any trial can proceed.

{Matzav.com}