Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, ask a judge to dismiss a US federal drug trafficking indictment against them, arguing they are protected by sovereign or diplomatic immunity. Their filings contend that the charges cannot legally be brought in US court because of their status as the leader of a foreign country and the first lady.
Multiple outlets report that the request is made in Manhattan federal court. Lawyers argue that prosecution, if any, should occur only in Venezuelan courts. Some coverage also notes Maduro’s public rhetoric around his detention—describing himself as a “prisoner of war” and his capture as “kidnapping”—as part of the wider context surrounding the case. All accounts describe the challenge as procedural, focused on whether immunity bars the indictment.
Separately reported case details include that Maduro and Flores are held in Brooklyn following their January 3 detention in Caracas, and that they have pleaded not guilty to federal drug and firearms charges. A hearing on the immunity-based dismissal arguments is scheduled for November 7, with a trial set for June 2027.
