RismadarVoice Reporters
September 11, 2026
Venezuela’s former first lady, Cilia Flores de Maduro, has asked a United States federal judge to release her from detention and allow her to await trial under home confinement, citing a worsening heart condition.
Flores’ lawyers filed an application requesting that she be moved from the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn to a residence within the Manhattan federal court district, where she and her husband, former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, are scheduled to face trial.
According to the legal filing, Flores’ health deteriorated after she and Maduro were taken into US custody following a January military operation in Caracas.
Her legal team said she was previously in good health and only received a monthly injection to manage mitral valve prolapse, a condition affecting one of the heart’s valves.
The lawyers claimed that she now requires multiple medications, carries nitroglycerin for possible heart attacks and has received medical advice recommending further cardiac evaluation and possible surgery.
They said outside medical experts believe Flores may have suffered a minor heart attack while in custody on July 29 and questioned whether she had received the appropriate treatment for her condition.
Her lawyers, however, acknowledged that Flores had received quality medical attention from healthcare professionals but argued that a detention facility does not provide the ideal environment needed for recovery from possible cardiac procedures.
Under the proposed home detention arrangement, Flores would remain under strict supervision, including round-the-clock monitoring, restricted visitors, video surveillance and recorded phone calls.
Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein has yet to rule on the request.
Flores, 69, and Maduro, 63, have been held in US custody since their detention during the January operation. Both have pleaded not guilty to charges alleging involvement in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine into the United States.
Flores played a prominent role in Venezuela’s political system, serving as first lady after Maduro assumed office in 2013. She was also a senior figure in the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and previously served as president of the National Assembly.
The US government has accused Maduro and Flores of involvement in drug trafficking and other alleged offences, while their supporters have described the charges as politically motivated.
The couple is expected to stand trial in New York in June 2027.
