Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will face trial in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges from June 1, 2027, a judge said on Wednesday.

Mr Maduro and his wife were abducted from their compound in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, during a night raid on January 3 and brought before a U.S. court to face allegations of weapons and drug offences.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein scheduled a pretrial hearing for November 17 to hear motions from both sides.

The ousted president’s attorney, Barry Pollack, indicated that he would argue at trial that his client was protected by sovereign immunity, a legal principle that shields certain heads of state from prosecution.

Both Mr Maduro and Ms Flores have pleaded not guilty. They face possible life sentences if a jury finds them guilty of conspiring to send cocaine into the United States.

Mr Maduro’s defence lawyer said on Wednesday that he would seek to dismiss the case on the grounds that his client should be immune from prosecution as the head of a sovereign state.

He had previously said he expected to challenge the legality of Mr Maduro’s “military abduction.”

The lawyers have said there are complex legal issues that the court must address before the trial can begin.

Mr Maduro, a socialist who had an antagonistic relationship with the United States during his leadership of Venezuela from 2013 until his capture, referred to himself as a “prisoner of war” during a January 5 court appearance.

He has long accused the United States of seeking to remove him from power to gain greater control over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.