Maduro’s Wife, 69, Seeks Release from Brooklyn Jail Amid Heart Condition

Cilia Flores, the 69-year-old wife of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, has filed a motion seeking her release from federal detention in Brooklyn and placement under strict home confinement, citing acute cardiac health issues. According to AFP, her legal team submitted the request amid concerns that her current detention conditions preclude adequate medical care.

Medical condition and detention timeline

Flores’s attorney Mark Donnelly stated in a Wednesday-dated court filing that she “had been in good health and was not taking any medications for chronic conditions, except for a monthly injection,” prior to her arrest by U.S. authorities in January. Since being detained on 3 January alongside Maduro following a raid in Caracas, Flores has been held at a federal facility in Brooklyn while both await trial on U.S. charges related to cocaine trafficking.

Her defense team asserts that Flores now suffers from serious heart problems necessitating either coronary angiography or surgical intervention. They argue that the detention center lacks the capacity to provide the level of cardiac monitoring and treatment required.

Proposed conditions for home confinement

The defense has proposed stringent conditions should home confinement be granted: round-the-clock armed supervision, an ankle-worn electronic monitoring device, and surrender of her passport. These measures are intended to ensure compliance with judicial requirements while accommodating her medical needs.

Maduro, aged 63, and Flores face U.S. criminal charges accusing them of facilitating the smuggling of multiple tons of cocaine into the United States. Both deny the allegations. Maduro has asserted in court that he is a “prisoner of war” under U.S. custody and has invoked immunity, urging the American judiciary to dismiss all criminal charges against him.