New reports on Nicolás Maduro's situation in the United States have detailed what his daily routine is like inside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn (MDC Brooklyn), New York, where he is currently detained.
The former Venezuelan ruler, accused of drug trafficking-related charges, remains under a strict isolation regime. He spends most of his time confined in a small cell and under constant surveillance.
According to an exclusive report by the Spanish newspaper ABC, Maduro is currently under a regime of isolation within the Special Housing Unit (SHU), an area designated for high-profile inmates or those who must remain separated from the rest of the prison population.
A minimal cell and almost total isolation
According to the information published by the aforementioned outlet, the former Venezuelan leader spends most of his time in a cell measuring approximately three meters long by two meters wide.
The space includes only the essentials: a metal bed fixed to the wall, a toilet, a small sink, and a narrow window through which very little natural light comes in.
The confinement regime is strict.
He is only allowed to leave the cell three times a week for one hour, always under strict supervision.
During those brief periods, you can take a shower, make phone calls with a monthly limit, or spend a few minutes in a small enclosed outdoor patio.
However, each transfer is conducted handcuffed and shackled at the feet and hands, escorted by two guards.
His confinement in isolation is due to security reasons.
In the prison, there are also Venezuelan citizens being processed for various crimes, which is why judicial authorities would have deemed it necessary to prevent any contact with other inmates.
"I am the president of Venezuela."
One of the most striking elements of the report is Maduro's behavior during the nights.
Testimonials gathered from the prison indicate that screams in Spanish can be heard from his cell. According to these accounts, the Chavista leader exclaims phrases such as:
"I am the president of Venezuela! Tell my country that I have been kidnapped, that we are being mistreated here!"
Other cited references indicate that he has also been heard shouting: “I am the legitimate president, they are torturing me.”
Sources close to other inmates describe that these scenes occur at night and reflect episodes of despair within the isolation regime.
A penalty with harsh conditions
The MDC Brooklyn is known for the harsh conditions of confinement that numerous inmates and attorneys have reported.
Among the most frequent criticisms are issues with heating, humidity, the presence of rodents, and deficiencies in medical care.
According to public records cited in the report, a prisoner died in December due to failures in detecting lung cancer, a situation that raised questions about the health protocols of the facility.
The prison has also housed other high-profile detainees, including former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández; former Venezuelan intelligence chief Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal; and Ghislaine Maxwell, a former associate of Jeffrey Epstein.
Limited contact with the outside world
The isolation has also minimized Maduro's contact with the outside world.
According to the report, the Venezuelan leader has received two consular visits from Félix Plasencia, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela and current diplomatic envoy in the United States.
Furthermore, he would also have had two brief private meetings with his wife, Cilia Flores.
Awaiting a new hearing
In February, U.S. justice postponed Nicolás Maduro's next hearing in a federal court in New York from March 17 to March 26.
Recently, the former Venezuelan leader requested a federal judge in Manhattan to dismiss the charges against him, arguing that the U.S. government violated his right to due process by blocking funds meant to pay for his legal defense.
Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack, argued before the Southern District Court of New York that U.S. authorities prevented the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of the former president.
In a statement included in the file, signed as "Nicolás Maduro Moros", the former president asserted: “I have relied on this expectation, and I cannot afford my own legal defense.”
Maduro, 63 years old, and his wife Cilia Flores, 69, were captured on January 3 in Caracas and transported to the United States. They both pleaded not guilty in their first appearance and described themselves as "prisoners of war."
The formal charges against them include four main counts, among them conspiracy for narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking to the United States, and offenses related to war weapons. If convicted, they could face life imprisonment.
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