Overthrown Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro plans to file motions on Wednesday arguing that his US narcotics charges should be dismissed based on violations of international law and the extradition treaty between the United States and Venezuela. ^[1] Nicolás Maduro's defense team will present motions to US federal judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan on Wednesday to dismiss his criminal drug trafficking case before trial. ^[2] The defense team for deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro must present an immunity motion to a federal court in New York by Wednesday to halt ongoing criminal proceedings. ^[3] Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro urged a US federal judge to dismiss his drug trafficking charges on the grounds of sovereign immunity. ^[4] Maduro was captured by US forces on January 3, 2026, and is currently detained in a federal prison in Brooklyn. ^[5] The defense team for deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro filed motions on September 2, 2026, requesting the dismissal of his criminal case in the United States based on sovereign immunity. ^[6] Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack, asserted that Maduro enjoys judicial immunity as a former sovereign head of state and raised questions about the legality of his capture by US forces during a January 3rd raid in Venezuela. ^[7] US courts have systematically held that defendants in criminal cases can be prosecuted even if they were illegally brought to the United States, citing the doctrine 'male captus, bene detentus' (illegally captured, lawfully detained). ^[8] US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan will decide Maduro's case, despite the fact that the US has not recognized Maduro as Venezuela's president since 2019. ^[9] Barry Pollack, Maduro's lawyer, will argue that his client enjoys procedural immunity as a sovereign head of state, a principle considered fundamental to international diplomacy. ^[10] Maduro faces charges of narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, money laundering, and possession of weapons, and has declared himself innocent of all charges. ^[11] Reuters cited six US international law and criminal defense experts who stated that legal precedents do not favor Maduro on either the immunity or capture illegality arguments. ^[12]