Judge sets October 8 hearing on Cilia Flores’ house arrest request

Federal Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein has scheduled a hearing for October 8 to address the request by Cilia Flores, wife of deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and detained on drug trafficking-related charges, to await her trial under house arrest.

The hearing will be held at 10:30 local time (14:30 GMT) at the Southern District Court of New York, according to a document published by the court and signed by the magistrate.

Last Wednesday, Flores’ defense requested in a court document that she be transferred to a private residence in New York, and offered a house arrest regime with 24-hour armed guards, a tracking bracelet, restricted visits, and monitored phone calls.

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Cilia Flores, 69, stated that she needs complex cardiac treatment and that the federal prison where she has been held since January 3 does not meet the necessary conditions for her care.

Her lawyers assured that the costs of this transfer will be assumed by the defendant and also offered the retention of her passport as part of the conditions to ensure that she remains in custody.

In the letter presented to the court, they described episodes of chest pain, arrhythmias, breathing difficulties, and a loss of more than 24 pounds since their detention.

On July 29, according to the petition, Flores reportedly suffered a serious health episode which, according to his lawyers, may have apparently been a mild heart attack, although this has not been medically confirmed.

Flores and Maduro were arrested on January 3rd during an operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and subsequently transferred to New York. Both have pleaded not guilty to charges related to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.

The trial is expected to begin on June 1, 2027.