Cilia Flores, the wife of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, was denied release from a Brooklyn federal jail where she has been held since January following a U.S. military operation that captured both in Caracas. On Thursday, a federal judge rejected Flores’s request to be released to home detention in New York due to her worsening health condition, including heart problems.
Flores, 69, and Maduro, 63, face charges tied to a longstanding criminal case alleging their involvement in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine into the United States. Both have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled for trial in June 2027. Prosecutors contend the couple poses an extreme risk of flight and public danger, opposing requests for their release. They also argue that allowing Flores to leave jail would create an inequitable two-tiered justice system favoring wealthy defendants.
In recent court proceedings, Flores’s lawyers have emphasized her declining health during incarceration at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a facility known for its challenging conditions. Her defense attorneys reported that she has lost approximately 25 pounds and two molars, has experienced chest tightness, dizziness, and may have suffered a minor heart attack in July. They have requested that she be permitted home confinement under constant guard to receive adequate medical care.
The judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein, cited the seriousness of the charges and the strength of the evidence when denying the motion, noting, “Jail is not a nice place to be, but these are serious allegations.” The legal team for Flores and Maduro has also filed motions to dismiss the case on the grounds of sovereign immunity, asserting that as the former president and first lady of Venezuela, they are immune from prosecution in U.S. courts. Judge Hellerstein is set to hear arguments on this matter next month.
The capture of Maduro and Flores in January involved a U.S. military raid described by the previous U.S. administration as a precise law enforcement action. Flores’s attorneys have said she sustained permanent scarring during the operation, alleging she was thrown against a wall or dresser. Maduro and Flores have maintained their innocence, with Maduro calling his detention a kidnapping and declaring himself a prisoner of war.
The case has drawn attention to broader issues regarding treatment of detainees and the potential disparities in pretrial detention, as wealthier defendants sometimes seek release on high bonds or home detention. Judges in past cases have expressed concern over fairness, often denying such requests to avoid creating unequal conditions based on wealth and influence.
Flores and Maduro remain in custody as their legal battles continue, continuing to plead not guilty amid ongoing investigations and new indictments accusing them of torturing detainees.