Cilia Flores, the wife of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, is expected to appear in court on Thursday. Her legal team intends to request that she be released from jail and placed under house arrest due to her heart condition.
Both Maduro and Flores have been detained in New York since early January, following a midnight raid at their home in Caracas.
They have both pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a case that was initiated six years ago, involving several alleged co-conspirators.
If found guilty, they could face life sentences for their involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the United States.
Flores’ attorneys argue that they should be granted immunity as leaders of a foreign nation and have requested that the case be dismissed.
At 69, Flores’s lawyers have emphasized that her health issues are not being managed properly in prison. They propose that she could instead stay under constant supervision at a residence in New York.
Additionally, they claim she sustained permanent injuries during the U.S. military operation that led to her arrest, stating she lost 25 pounds in prison and may require heart surgery.
Her legal team has reported ongoing symptoms such as lightheadedness, dizziness, and shortness of breath, indicating she might have experienced a minor heart attack in July.
Prosecutors oppose Flores’ release, citing her as a potential “extreme risk of flight and danger to the public.” They note that she has been taken to a local hospital when necessary for medical treatment.
The raid for capturing Maduro was characterized by the Trump administration as a precise law enforcement action.
Maduro himself claims to be a prisoner of war, calling his capture a kidnapping incident.
Flores faces charges related to a cocaine importation conspiracy alongside her husband, who was in office from 2013 until his capture in January.
Flores’s lawyers assert that she poses no flight risk since she is dedicated to supporting her husband through her presence.
