Nicolás Maduro, the deposed Venezuelan leader, was recently photographed wearing a modest $40 watch at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, following his arrest by U.S. Special Forces earlier this year. The images, newly released, show the 63-year-old making a peace sign while sporting a G-Shock wristwatch, which matches a model available for purchase through the detention center’s commissary.

Maduro’s current choice of a simple timepiece contrasts sharply with his previous affinity for expensive luxury watches while in power. In late 2024, he was seen wearing a limited-edition Hublot watch valued at approximately $85,000, according to horology analysts. Earlier that year, Maduro appeared at a summit with another Swiss timepiece valued near $40,000, reportedly a gift from former Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona, who was known for supporting the Venezuelan leader.

Although Maduro has occasionally been spotted with more modest watches, including brands such as Citizen, his preference for extravagant accessories was widely noted during his tenure. The contrast between his lavish lifestyle and Venezuela’s deteriorating economic conditions has been a point of criticism for years.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a January 3 nighttime raid at their heavily fortified residence in Caracas. The operation was conducted by U.S. Special Forces under orders from then-President Donald Trump. Following their arrest, the couple was transported to New York, where they face federal charges involving collaboration with drug cartels to traffic thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States between 1999 and 2025. Both defendants have entered not guilty pleas.

The Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with Maduro’s defense attorneys, recently announced that the trial is scheduled to begin in June 2027. Subsequent to his detention, Maduro claimed financial hardship and requested that the Venezuelan government cover his legal expenses. However, U.S. authorities announced last year they had seized assets worth roughly $700 million linked to Maduro. These confiscated properties include mansions in the Dominican Republic and Florida, as well as a horse farm, expensive vehicles, aircraft, and jewelry.

Critics have long argued that Maduro’s regime operated a system of patronage that enriched a ruling elite while the country suffered from soaring inflation and a decline in living standards, underscoring the stark disparities between his personal wealth and the broader population’s hardships.