Maduro Now Detained in Special Prison until Trial Completed

Nicolas Maduro/DOK FOTO Пресс-служба Госдумы РФ via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is reportedly being held in a high-security cell in a Brooklyn prison, United States, with strict restrictions.

As reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, Friday, March 27, Maduro was placed in a special unit for high-risk prisoners who implement Special Administrative Measures (SAMs), which restrict communication with outsiders. The authorities call the unit a "prison within a prison."

He is only allowed to leave the cell to shower, meet with a lawyer, or rest alone for an hour. All his activities are under strict surveillance for 24 hours.

Every movement within the unit, Maduro will be escorted by two correctional officers and an officer. This step is taken to ensure maximum security during detention.

Maduro is expected to remain in that condition until the legal process is completed, whether he is released or sentenced, according to a source familiar with the case.

The unit can accommodate up to 12 inmates, although the current number of occupants is unknown. His wife, Cilia Flores, is being held in a different unit at the same facility.

The report also said former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez may have been housed in a similar unit before being moved to another facility in West Virginia.

Previously, the United States arrested Maduro and his wife in early January. The two were taken to New York to face charges of alleged involvement in "narco-terrorism."