US judge handling Maduro’s drug trafficking case dies at 92

Alvin Hellerstein, the United States federal judge overseeing the drug trafficking case against deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, has died at the age of 92, an official confirmed on Wednesday.

Hellerstein was among the oldest serving federal judges in the US, prompting questions about his ability to preside over what could be a lengthy trial involving Maduro, who faces drug trafficking charges.

During his judicial career, Hellerstein handled several high-profile cases, including civil lawsuits arising from the September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington. He frequently rejected settlements he considered unfair to the plaintiffs.

An official of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, where Hellerstein served, confirmed his death on Wednesday.

The judge also had legal confrontations with US President Donald Trump. He rejected Trump’s attempt to transfer his New York hush money case from state to federal court.

In 2025, Hellerstein also blocked the Trump administration from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members without giving them an opportunity to appear before a court.

Another notable decision came in 2015, when he ordered the US government to release a collection of photographs documenting the abuse of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hellerstein also presided over a trial in 2025 involving French banking giant BNP Paribas and its activities in Sudan. A jury found that the bank’s work in the country had helped sustain the government of former ruler Omar al-Bashir and awarded $20.75 million in damages to three Sudanese plaintiffs.

The judge had overseen the sprawling drug trafficking case linked to Maduro for more than a decade. The proceedings have also resulted in the conviction of Venezuela’s former intelligence chief, Hugo Armando Carvajal.

Maduro was captured by US forces in January during a military raid on his compound in Venezuela.

Hellerstein studied law at Columbia University before serving as a lawyer in the US Army between 1957 and 1960. He subsequently entered private legal practice.

In 1998, then-President Bill Clinton nominated him to serve as a district court judge in the Southern District of New York.

US judge handling Maduro’s drug trafficking case dies at 92