Established in the early 1990s, the Metropolitan Detention Center, or MDC Brooklyn, is home to about 1,300 inmates today.
It serves as the regular location for individuals awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan and Brooklyn, accommodating alleged gangsters and drug traffickers alongside those accused of white-collar crimes.
On Saturday night, a large group of Venezuelan expatriates, many adorned with flags, gathered outside the jail to celebrate Maduro’s capture. The crowd erupted in cheers as a law enforcement motorcade, believed to be transporting the ousted leader and his wife, arrived at the facility.
Maduro is not the first leader of a country to be incarcerated there.
Juan Orlando Hernández, the ex-president of Honduras, was held at MDC Brooklyn while facing trial for smuggling hundreds of tons of cocaine into the U.S. Convicted and sentenced to 45 years, Hernández was pardoned and released by President Donald Trump in December.
Among current detainees is Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, and Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Previous inmates have included crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried and long-time Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Adjacent to a shopping mall in a waterfront industrial area and visible from the Statue of Liberty, the jail has, at times, been described as a “hell on earth” and an “ongoing tragedy.”
Inmates and their legal representatives have frequently raised concerns about rampant violence. Two inmates were killed by fellow prisoners in 2024, and jail staff have faced charges for accepting bribes or smuggling contraband.
During the winter of 2019, a power outage left the facility and its inmates in cold darkness for a week.
Recently, however, the federal Bureau of Prisons reports that efforts have been made to enhance conditions.
Additional correctional and medical personnel were hired, addressing over 700 backlogged maintenance requests and responding to judicial concerns. Upgrades were also implemented in the electrical and plumbing systems, food service, and heating and air conditioning.
Alongside physical improvements, federal authorities have intensified efforts to curb crime within the jail. Last March, 23 inmates faced charges for a range of offenses, including smuggling weapons in a Doritos bag and the stabbing of a man convicted of killing hip-hop legend Jam Master Jay.
“In summary, MDC Brooklyn is safe for inmates and staff,” the Bureau of Prisons asserted in September. The inmate population has decreased from 1,580 as of January 2024, which, according to the Bureau, resulted in a “substantial decrease” in crime and contraband.
While there, Maduro is likely to encounter some familiar faces if granted access outside the isolated quarters where he will initially be placed.
One individual is co-defendant Hugo Carvajal, the former Venezuelan spy chief who distanced himself from Maduro in 2019 and has expressed a desire to cooperate with U.S. authorities.
Additionally, there is Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, an alleged member of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, arrested last year in New York on firearms charges. Zambrano-Pacheco was filmed on security cameras intimidating residents at an apartment complex in a Denver suburb, an episode highlighted by Trump during his presidential campaign.
The MDC has gained more scrutiny since 2021, when the Bureau of Prisons shuttered its other New York City jail, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, after Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide revealed serious security failures, deteriorating infrastructure, and dangerous, unsanitary conditions.
