Trump Says Maduro Faces 'Fair Trial' but Hints at Expanding Case Since Current One Covers 'A Fraction of the Kind of Things That He's Done'

President Donald Trump said the United States may bring additional legal cases against Nicolás Maduro, suggesting the charges he currently faces represent only part of his alleged conduct.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday, Trump said Maduro would receive "a fair trial," but added: "I would imagine there are other trials coming." He also described the existing case as "a fraction of the kind of things that he's done," according to remarks reported by the Associated Press.

Reuters reported that U.S. authorities are preparing to pursue additional cases against Maduro, who is currently facing narcoterrorism and narcotics-related charges in New York following his capture by U.S. forces during a January raid in Venezuela.

Trump also accused Maduro of playing a central role in drug trafficking into the United States, saying "he's a major purveyor of drugs coming into our country," during the meeting. He also suggested further charges could include allegations related to migration, stating: "He emptied his prisons in Venezuela into our country... I hope that charge will be brought at some point. Because that's a big charge that hasn't been brought yet."

Maduro, 63, has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges, including narcoterrorism conspiracy, and is being held in Brooklyn pending trial. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a January 3 operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and transferred to New York. The case marks a rare instance of a former head of state being prosecuted in U.S. courts.

At a hearing in Manhattan on Thursday, the first one since Maduro's January arraignment, his attorney Barry Pollack argued that forcing his client to rely on public defenders would improperly strain resources intended for defendants who cannot afford legal representation as The Associated Press reports. "That doesn't make sense in a case where you have someone other than the U.S. taxpayer standing ready, willing and able to fund that defense," Pollack told the court.

Pollacl also made a series of legal arguments seeking permission for Maduro to access Venezuelan government funds to pay for his defense, a dispute that has become central to the early stages of the case. The judge in the case has rejected tossing the case as a result of the claim.

Legal experts say the case presents significant challenges. "We're in largely uncharted territory," Renato Stabile, a defense attorney who previously worked on a similar case, told Al Jazeera on Thursday. Analysts have also pointed to potential hurdles for prosecutors, including reliance on cooperating witnesses and questions surrounding the legality of Maduro's arrest.