Cilia Flores, wife of Nicolas Maduro, requests release from US prison due to health issues

Cilia Flores, the 69-year-old wife of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, has formally petitioned a US court for release from a federal detention center in Brooklyn. Flores is currently held on charges related to drug trafficking into the United States, following her capture by American armed forces in Venezuela earlier this year. Her husband faces similar criminal charges and is detained in the same facility.

According to a legal filing submitted by her attorney, Mark Donnelly, Flores requires urgent cardiac examination and potentially surgery due to worsening heart conditions developed during her incarceration. The defense argues that the current detention environment prevents proper medical treatment. To facilitate her care, her legal team has proposed house arrest or relocation to a temporary residence under strict security measures, including 24-hour armed guard surveillance, the use of an electronic monitoring bracelet, and the surrender of her passport.

The court is expected to review the medical documentation presented by the defense before making a decision on whether to grant her temporary release or transfer to an outside facility.