Welcome to ‘hell on Earth,’ Nicolas! Inside the notorious NYC lock-up where Maduro and his wife are being held
The federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn is housing Maduro and his wife. Paul Martinka
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who once dined on steak and lived in a palace while his country faced widespread hunger, is now facing life behind bars in what one observer called “hell on Earth” at a Brooklyn jail — guarded by heavily armed authorities.
Maduro, 63, and his 69-year-old wife, Cilia, are being held in separate solitary cells at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) after their dramatic capture by elite U.S. forces in Caracas early Saturday. “This is the least they deserve,” said Gabriel Bonilla, a Venezuelan comedian who fled to Argentina in 2017. “The worst prison in the United States is a mansion compared to the prisons and holes where people have been tortured for years in Venezuela.”
Outside the MDC, at least four heavily armored law enforcement officers patrolled the area with M4 machine guns on Sunday, while about a dozen more officers monitored protesters both supporting and opposing the alleged narco-trafficker. Maduro is scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court for his arraignment at noon Monday.
Brooklyn’s federal jail — which has previously housed figures such as Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs — is a stark contrast to the luxurious lifestyle Maduro enjoyed during his rule. He lived in Venezuela’s presidential palace and drew international attention in 2018 when he ate a gourmet steak in Istanbul while his country struggled with extreme shortages.
The MDC has long faced criticism for poor conditions. The Sunset Park facility has been the subject of lawsuits over allegedly maggot-infested food, unsanitary cells, and frequent power outages. Some judges have even refused to send suspects there.
“The Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn is notorious for dangerous conditions,” the Legal Aid Society said in a June press release. “Inmates have endured winter blackouts, been served maggot-infested food, denied adequate medical care — including botched cancer diagnoses — and suffered fatal violence due to chronic understaffing.”
In 2019, the facility made headlines when inmates went without heat or power for a full week during winter, highlighting the persistent issues at the jail.
About Post Author
