Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in New York on the 3rd local time.
MDC is where hip-hop producer Sean Diddy Combs awaited trial after being convicted on charges including forced prostitution, and it is considered harsh. Ghislaine Maxwell, an accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein, who was arrested on charges of sex trafficking of minors and human trafficking and died while in custody, also passed through here.
Judging by precedent, Maduro will likely be transported outside only when necessary, such as for court appearances.
According to CBS, Maduro arrived at MDC at about 8:52 p.m. that day. As far as is known, there are no plans to place him in solitary confinement. The detention status of his wife, Cilia Flores, has not been confirmed.
Earlier on social media, footage was released showing Maduro arriving at Stewart International Airport in the afternoon and being moved. Wearing a blue hoodie in the video, he walked with his hands cuffed, head bowed, staring only at the ground.
In subsequent footage shot at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) headquarters, Maduro's hands were likewise cuffed, but he had changed into a black hoodie. He also wore a cap.
His expression was brighter than at the airport. He even addressed reporters first in English, saying, "Good night" and "Happy New Year."
Maduro and Flores were arrested in a nighttime U.S. military operation at their residence in the capital, Caracas, early that morning. The charges include conspiracy for narco-terrorism, cocaine smuggling and firearms offenses. Observers say it is an extension of the indictment that the U.S. Department of Justice brought in 2020 against Maduro and several close associates.
Shortly after the couple's arrest, U.S. President Donald Trump held a news conference and effectively announced plans for direct rule, saying the United States would run Venezuela "until appropriate political transition is achieved."
He did not rule out the possibility of deploying ground troops. Trump said he was "not afraid of 'boots on the ground'" and that "a second and much larger strike is ready if necessary."
He also mentioned plans for handling oil assets. He laid out a plan for U.S. oil corporations to enter Venezuela under military protection.
Trump said he would sell Venezuelan oil assets secured by the United States, adding, "That wealth will go to the Venezuelan people and Venezuelans who left the country, and will also return to the United States in the form of compensation to the United States."
The U.S. administration said there were no deaths in the operation, but local media reported that at least 40 people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed. The figure came from a preliminary report provided by a senior Venezuelan official on condition of anonymity.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he "watched the operation as if watching a TV show." On questions about unconstitutionality, he dismissed them, saying it was "a measure to block drugs flowing into the United States."