U.S. prosecutors face substantial evidentiary hurdles in securing convictions on every charge against former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, including the narco-terrorism conspiracy count that links cocaine trafficking to designated terrorist organizations. The case remains in pretrial proceedings in the Southern District of New York, where a federal judge recently denied defense motions to dismiss but set the next hearing for late June without establishing a trial date. Historical outcomes under the 2006 narcoterrorism statute show limited success at trial, with multiple convictions later overturned due to witness credibility concerns. Ongoing disputes over defense funding from Venezuelan assets and the absence of a firm trial schedule have reinforced trader expectations of plea negotiations or convictions on fewer than all counts.