Former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was seen flashing a peace sign and a thumbs up as he was led into a notorious New York City prison, where he awaits trial.
Maduro was brought to the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center on Saturday, shortly after U.S. authorities apprehended him and his wife in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital.
Despite facing narcoterrorism charges from the Trump administration, Maduro seemed at ease during his transfer.
The ex-president wore a hoodie and was handcuffed as he entered the detention facility, known for its harsh conditions and housing several high-profile inmates.
Among his potential fellow inmates are alleged assassin Luigi Mangione and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Notably, Ghislaine Maxwell, previously held on sex trafficking charges, has since been moved to a less severe facility.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by U.S. Army Delta Force operatives in a pre-dawn operation on Saturday, facing extradition due to drug trafficking allegations.
They landed by helicopter in Manhattan on Saturday evening, after earlier making stops at airfields in upstate New York and Puerto Rico.
He was transported to a DEA office in downtown Manhattan for processing before transfer to the prison.
As US officials escorted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of a cavalcade of white vans, he flashed onlookers a thumbs up
Maduro appeared to be calm and in good spirits throughout the hectic day of his arrest
The president was booked in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn where he will await his trial
They arrived there Saturday via helicopter and motorcade before 9pm.
The high-profile center is known for ‘inhumane’ and ‘barbaric’ conditions, Axios reports.
Judges have previously condemned the federal prison and even commuted the sentences of inmates housed there due to the rough conditions.
CNN reported the Metropolitan Detention Center to be cold and riddled with rats.
Maduro will reportedly be held there as he awaits trial. His initial hearing could begin in the next 36 hours.
Earlier in the evening, Maduro was taken to be booked at the US Drug Enforcement Office, where he was expected to be fingerprinted.
In footage of the president being escorted through the offices, he appeared relaxed as officers on either side walked him down a hallway.
Maduro even wished law enforcement ‘Happy New Year’ as he passed.
His arrest came after US forces struck Caracas amid accusations from Trump that Venezuela has been flooding the US with drugs and gang members.
In earlier footage at the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Maduro wished officers a ‘Happy New Year’ as he shuffled down the hallway
Maduro was seized following a raid on his compound in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday. Pictured: DOJ officers leave the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn
The strike on Venezuela left around 40 civilians and military personnel dead, an official told the New York Times.
No US casualties have been reported but there were an undisclosed number of injuries among US troops, all of whom are reportedly in stable condition.
Trump has alleged that Maduro is the leader of the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) drug trafficking operation.
He stated that the US would take control of Venezuela for the foreseeable future.
The Venezuelan Supreme Court, however, tapped Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to ‘guarantee the administrative continuity’ of the country.
Rodriguez has been critical of Maduro’s capture and has called on the US to release him.
She called his seizure a ‘kidnapping’ and claimed it violated international law.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and wife Cilia were both seized by a US military unit in the early hours of Caracas. Trump said Saturday afternoon that both will face criminal charges in New York City
But the dictator’s capture sparked jubilation from Venezuelan migrants living outside of their home nation on Saturday.
Hundreds took to the streets of cities, including Santiago in Chile, to celebrate the ouster of a leader seen as a corrupt authoritarian accused of destroying the economy of his oil-rich country while silencing dissent.
The atmosphere appeared altogether more muted in Caracas.
Locals were photographed lining up outside supermarkets amid fears Maduro’s ouster will lead to even greater economic uncertainty.
Shortly before Saturday’s press conference, the president shared an undignified photo of Maduro in a tracksuit taken after his capture.
He said the Venezuelan president’s wife will also be charged, but did not offer further details.
Maduro was photographed wearing a heavy black plastic eye mask and ear muffs over his ears in an apparent bid to keep his location a secret from him.
He was clad in a gray tracksuit and clutched a plastic water bottle. It is unclear if this is what Maduro was wearing when he was taken or if it was given to him by US forces.
