Maduro’s brazen gestures to onlookers as he arrives at rat-infested ‘hell hole’ prison in Brooklyn
Deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro flashed a peace sign and a thumbs-up as he was escorted to the hellish New York City jail where he will be held until trial.
The former president was transferred to the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center on Saturday, just hours after US authorities detained him and his wife from their home in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital.
Maduro appeared relieved despite the narcoterrorism charges leveled against him by the Trump administration.
The former leader wore his hoodie as he was led in handcuffs to the notorious detention center, notorious for its poor conditions and other high-profile inmates.
Potential cellmates at the institution include accused assassin Luigi Mangione and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell was previously held at the facility but was later transferred to a more comfortable prison.
U.S. Army Delta Force soldiers kidnapped Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, early Saturday before they were extradited on drug trafficking charges.
They landed in Manhattan by helicopter on Saturday evening, after previously stopping at airports in upstate New York and Puerto Rico.
He was transported to a DEA office in midtown Manhattan for processing before being transported to prison.
As U.S. officials escorted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of a cavalcade of white pickup trucks, Maduro gave the audience a thumbs-up.
Maduro appeared calm and in a good mood throughout the busy day of his arrest
The President is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he will await his trial.
They arrived there by helicopter and convoy before 21:00 on Saturday.
The high-profile center is known for “inhumane” and “barbaric” conditions, Axios reported.
Judges have previously condemned the federal prison and even commuted the sentences of inmates held there due to harsh conditions.
CNN reported that the Metropolitan Detention Center was cold and full of rats.
Maduro will reportedly be held there while awaiting trial. His first hearing could begin within the next 36 hours.
Earlier in the evening, Maduro was taken to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, where he was expected to be fingerprinted.
In footage showing the president being escorted through the offices, officers on both sides appeared relaxed as they walked him down the corridor.
Maduro even wished law enforcement a “Happy New Year” as he passed by.
His arrest came after US forces struck Caracas amid Trump’s accusations that Venezuela is funneling drugs and gang members into the US.
In earlier footage at the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Maduro wished officers a ‘Happy Birthday’ as he shuffled down the corridor
Maduro was captured in a raid on his compound in Caracas early on Saturday. Image: Department of Justice officers leaving the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn
An official speaking to the New York Times said that approximately 40 civilians and military personnel died in the attack on Venezuela.
No casualties were reported from the US, but an undisclosed number of injuries were reported among US soldiers and all were reported to be in stable condition.
Trump claimed that Maduro was the leader of the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Sun) drug trafficking operation.
He stated that the United States would take control of Venezuela for the foreseeable future.
However, the Venezuelan Supreme Court appointed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to ‘guarantee the administrative continuity’ of the country.
Rodriguez criticized Maduro’s capture and called on the United States to release him.
He described her capture as a ‘kidnapping’ and claimed it violated international law.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia were captured by a US military unit in the early hours of Caracas. Trump said Saturday afternoon that both would face criminal charges in New York
However, the capture of the dictator caused joy among Venezuelan immigrants living outside their country on Saturday.
Hundreds of people 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 his oil-rich country’s economy while silencing dissent.
In Caracas, the atmosphere seemed altogether quieter.
Locals were photographed queuing outside supermarkets out of fear that Maduro’s ouster would lead to even greater economic uncertainty.
Shortly before Saturday’s press conference, the president shared an undignified photo of Maduro in sweatpants after his capture.
He said the wife of the Venezuelan President would also be charged, but did not provide further details.
Maduro was photographed wearing a heavy black plastic eye mask and headphones over his ears in an attempt to keep his location secret from him.
He was wearing a gray tracksuit and holding a plastic water bottle in his hand. It is unclear whether this is the clothing Maduro was wearing when he was kidnapped or whether it was given to him by US forces.
