NEW YORK, United States (AFP)—Venezuela’s ousted president Nicolas Maduro is set to appear before a New York court Wednesday, his third public hearing since the US military captured him in a stunning nighttime raid in January.

The former leader, 63, and wife Cilia Flores have been held in a Brooklyn jail since the US military operation, awaiting trial on drug trafficking, firearms and other charges.

American commandos snatched the pair from their compound in Caracas on January 3. The lightning operation combined naval, air and ground forces, deposing the strongman who had led Venezuela since 2013.