A US judge has declined to dismiss the drug-trafficking and weapons possession charges brought against former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. However, Judge Alvin Hellerstein questioned whether the US government had the right to bar Venezuela from funding Maduro's legal expenses. He also questioned US prosecutors about Maduro's access to defence. The hearing was the first for Maduro and Flores since their January arraignment. Federal prosecutors argued that national security reasons prevented the US from allowing such payments, but Hellerstein countered this by noting that the US had eased sanctions against Venezuela since Maduro’s abduction. Maduro was taken into US custody on January 3 after a military operation deemed illegal under international law.