Nicolás Maduro asked a Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday to dismiss drug-trafficking and narco-terrorism charges against him, asserting that he enjoys absolute immunity from prosecution as the recognized head of Venezuela.

In a motion filed before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, Maduro’s lawyers argued that the court lacks jurisdiction because Maduro is the sitting head of a sovereign state under Venezuelan law. The filing stated that “this court lacks jurisdiction with respect to Mr. Maduro, who is recognized by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela as its head of state.”

The motion also contended that any alleged acts were undertaken in Maduro’s official capacity and therefore qualify for conduct-based sovereign immunity. Lawyers Barry Pollack and Anna Estevao wrote that the prosecution violates longstanding principles of international law granting heads of state immunity from foreign criminal courts.

Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, were seized by U.S. forces during a military raid in Caracas on January 3 and have been held in a Brooklyn federal jail since. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which stem from an indictment first filed years earlier. A trial is scheduled for June 1, 2027, if the dismissal effort fails.

Prosecutors must respond to the motion by October 2. Hellerstein has set oral arguments for November 17.

Flores filed a separate motion seeking dismissal on similar immunity grounds, arguing that her status as first lady extends protection from her husband’s head-of-state immunity.

Maduro’s team also asked the judge to dismiss the narco-terrorism conspiracy count for lack of jurisdictional connection to the United States. The lawyers emphasized that Maduro “vehemently denies” the allegations and described the case as unprecedented.

The filing comes amid ongoing U.S. recognition of interim Venezuelan leadership figures while Maduro maintains support from Venezuelan authorities as the country’s president.