NEW YORK (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, a facility notorious for its troubled history. The jail, opened in the early 1990s, currently accommodates approximately 1,300 inmates, including a mix of alleged gangsters, drug traffickers, and individuals charged with white-collar crimes. This facility has a reputation so concerning that some judges have hesitated to send defendants there.
The MDC Brooklyn has been a high-profile jail, housing notable inmates like music stars R. Kelly and Sean "Diddy" Combs. Recently, a crowd of Venezuelan expatriates gathered outside the jail, draped in their national flags, celebrating Maduro’s capture as a law enforcement motorcade believed to be carrying him and his wife arrived at the facility.
Notably, Maduro is not the first leader to find himself imprisoned at MDC. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández faced similar circumstances, being incarcerated for his involvement in drug trafficking before receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump in December 2021. Other notable detainees at MDC include the co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, and alleged murderer Luigi Mangione.
Located adjacent to a shopping mall in a waterfront industrial area and within view of the Statue of Liberty, MDC Brooklyn has earned a reputation as a "hell on earth" due to its poor conditions. Detainees and their attorneys have long voiced concerns over escalating violence within the facility, which has seen serious incidents, including the murders of two inmates in 2024. Additionally, there have been allegations of jail workers accepting bribes and introducing contraband into the prison.
Power outages have also plagued the MDC; a notable occurrence in the winter of 2019 resulted in inmates enduring a week of frigid conditions without electricity. However, the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has recently made efforts to enhance conditions at the facility. This includes increasing correctional and medical staff, resolving over 700 maintenance requests, and addressing judges' concerns. Upgrades to electrical and plumbing infrastructure, as well as food service and heating systems, have also been implemented.
In a bid to curb crime within the facility, BOP officials have sought to tighten security and reduce contraband smuggling. In March 2025, 23 inmates faced charges for various offenses, including the smuggling of weapons hidden in snacks. Furthermore, the Bureau of Prisons asserted that MDC Brooklyn has become safer for both inmates and staff, aided by a reduction in the inmate population from 1,580 in January 2024, which correspondingly decreased crime rates.
While at MDC, Maduro may encounter familiar faces from previous cases. One such individual is his co-defendant Hugo Carvajal, the former Venezuelan intelligence chief who has signaled a willingness to cooperate with U.S. authorities. Another is Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, alleged to be affiliated with Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang, who was arrested last year in New York on firearm charges and is known from an alarming video of him intimidating residents in a Denver suburb.
The MDC has come under renewed scrutiny following the closure of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City in 2021 after Jeffrey Epstein's high-profile suicide there revealed critical security issues and deplorable conditions. Authorities continue to face significant scrutiny as they work to improve the jail’s operations and maintain safety for its inhabitants.
