Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro held in US jail with 18 inmates

Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Silia Flores were arrested by U.S. forces in Caracas in early January and transferred to New York, where they face U.S. drug‑terrorism charges that Maduro denies.

Maduro is housed in a federal cell shared with 18 other prisoners. In a recent interview his son, Nicolás Maduro Jr., known as “Nicolásito,” said the rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was briefly placed in the same cell, and he characterized the accusations against his family as politically motivated. The son also criticized the surprise U.S. operation in Caracas and said Venezuela did not provide sufficient protection for his father.

Maduro rejected U.S. claims that the United States has taken control of Venezuela’s affairs after his ouster, emphasizing that recent measures such as amnesty and oil‑sector reforms are initiatives of the Venezuelan government, which remains socialist despite some concessions.