Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has asked a Manhattan federal judge to dismiss criminal charges, arguing that sovereign immunity as head of state bars prosecution in U.S. courts. Defense attorney Barry Pollack filed the motion Wednesday, contending that international law protects foreign heads of state, that the alleged conduct involved Maduro’s official duties, and that he remained Venezuela’s de facto head of state when U.S. authorities indicted him in 2020 on drug-trafficking and narco-terrorism charges, despite Washington’s refusal to recognize him as president since 2019. Prosecutors accuse Maduro and other Venezuelan officials of conspiring to traffic cocaine into the United States and using state institutions to facilitate the trade. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by U.S. forces in Caracas in January, are held without bail at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, and have pleaded not guilty to charges including drug trafficking, money laundering, and corruption. Prosecutors are expected to respond by Oct. 2, with oral arguments set for Nov. 17 before Judge Alvin Hellerstein; the defense may later challenge the legality of the capture. U.S. courts have rejected similar immunity claims, including against Manuel Noriega, and a trial is scheduled for June 1, 2027. If convicted, Maduro could face life in prison.