Captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is now being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York, following his capture earlier this weekend by US special forces in a dramatic military operation.
The detention centre is known for housing high‑profile inmates, including music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs, socialite and partner of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and former FTX CEO Sam Bankman‑Fried, and has a reputation for tough conditions, Fox News reported.
Maduro’s capture came after a large‑scale US strike in Venezuela early Saturday, in which American military and intelligence forces reportedly raided a fortified compound where the Venezuelan leader and his wife were staying. The operation appears to have been swift and decisive, removing Maduro from power and flying him to the United States for legal proceedings.
What do we know about the detention centre?
Once in New York, Maduro was taken into custody and transported to MDC Brooklyn, a federal prison facility that primarily houses detainees awaiting trial. The facility is infamous for its harsh conditions and history of understaffing, and has previously held defendants accused of major crimes, from organised crime figures to high‑profile financial and sex crimes, Axios reported.
Maduro faces a battery of charges in the US, including narco‑terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons‑related offenses. His wife, Cilia Flores, and son are also listed as defendants in the indictment, according to US authorities.
President Donald Trump shared images of Maduro aboard a U.S. military ship after his capture, saying that Maduro and his wife would “face American justice.” Trump’s remarks suggested that the operation aimed not only to detain Maduro but to hold him accountable under US law.
Maduro to be placed in special housing unit?
Sources told Fox News that Maduro will likely be placed initially in a special housing unit for high‑profile inmates before being moved to another secure section of the facility.
The dramatic turn of events in Venezuela has generated international reactions, with some governments condemning the US action as a breach of sovereignty. Domestic political debate is also intensifying over the legality and implications of the U.S. strike and Maduro’s detention.