The defense team representing Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, the wife of captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, submitted a formal petition to a United States federal court in New York on Wednesday requesting her release on bail due to severe, deteriorating health conditions.
Attorneys representing the 69-year-old former Venezuelan lawmaker argued that her ongoing detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn poses a grave threat to her life. Defense counsel emphasized that Flores requires specialized post-operative care and a recovery environment that the federal correctional facility is equipped to provide.
Flores was taken into custody alongside her husband on January 3 during a US military operation conducted in Caracas. Both were subsequently extradited to New York to face federal charges alleging cocaine importation and firearms offenses, allegations that both defendants firmly deny.
Medical Evaluations and Defense Health Claims
While federal statutes typically dictate pretrial detention for individuals indicted on major international narcotics charges, the defense argued that exceptional medical circumstances, established family ties, and her background as an elected representative justify a temporary conditional release.
Legal filings detailed a history of cardiac complications, specifically a mitral valve prolapse previously managed through routine specialized injections that ceased following her arrest. Defense medical documents indicate that Flores currently relies on four daily medications, carries prescribed emergency nitroglycerin, and has lost over 11.3 kilograms during her confinement.
Recent diagnostic evaluations revealed severe heart rhythm abnormalities and reduced blood flow to cardiac muscle tissue. Medical staff at the Brooklyn detention facility recommended an invasive cardiac catheterization after a routine stress test was suspended in April due to physical distress. Defense medical experts further submitted that a prolonged 30-minute episode of acute chest pain experienced on July 29 indicated a potential minor heart attack.
Proposed Custody Terms and Legal Proceedings
To address flight risk concerns raised by federal prosecutors, the defense proposed strict conditional confinement measures within a private New York residence. The proposed terms include round-the-clock armed security provided by an independent firm, continuous GPS electronic monitoring, and full consensual monitoring of all telecommunications.
US District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein approved a motion to seal sensitive medical records on privacy grounds while maintaining public access to court motions. Federal prosecutors remain opposed to the bail application. Judge Hellerstein has scheduled the joint federal trial for Flores and Maduro to commence on June 1, 2027.
