Cilia Flores Denied Release from Jail After Health Concerns Raised

<p>Nicolás Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, reported losing two molars and over 25 pounds while in jail, but a federal judge denied her request for release on October 8, 2026. Flores, 69, and her attorney argued for her transfer to home detention in New York for medical treatment, citing a worsening heart condition exacerbated by pepper spray used during a conflict in her housing unit.</p><p>Federal prosecutors contended that her release would present an “extreme risk of flight and danger to the public,” noting that she could receive necessary medical care at a local hospital.</p><p>U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected her request, stating, “For whatever it’s worth, her appearance today is no worse and perhaps a little better than when I first met with her on her arraignment,” referencing her initial court appearance on January 5 following her capture by U.S. forces.</p><p>Flores’s lawyer remarked that she “was still bandaged up from the military invasion.” On the same day, Flores and Maduro were charged with conspiring to commit torture against Americans, including an incident in 2022 where an American citizen was allegedly detained and subjected to beatings and electric shocks. They also face conspiracy charges related to cocaine and weapons, with Maduro facing an additional narcoterrorism charge.</p><p>Flores has been described as a significant figure in Maduro’s administration, accused of accepting bribes to facilitate meetings between drug traffickers and Venezuelan officials. She began her political career by supporting Hugo Chávez after his failed coup in 1992, later marrying Maduro in 2013, who referred to her as the “first combatant.” The couple has been detained since January when U.S. forces captured them at their home in Caracas.</p>