As Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro landed in New York on Saturday, a video clip of him walking in handcuffs has now emerged. In the footage, a handcuffed Maduro could be seen escorted by security officers, as he says “good night” and “happy new year” while being led away. Maduro has now arrived at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, say US media outlets, a prison known for its harsh and overcrowded conditions.

The jail has previously been described as “disgusting” and “horrifying,” with years of complaints about understaffing, violence and power failures. Built in the 1990s to ease overcrowding, the facility has held several high-profile detainees, including R. Kelly, Martin Shkreli, Ghislaine Maxwell, Sam Bankman-Fried and music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs, according to CNN. A suspected cartel leader, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, was also held there while awaiting trial on drug and murder charges.

Lawyer Marc Agnifilo, speaking in court in late 2024, said the MDC is a very difficult place to be an inmate, arguing it makes it hard for prisoners to prepare for trial. Violence has been a recurring problem one inmate was fatally stabbed in June 2024, and another died in a fight the following month.

The prison drew national attention in 2019 when a week-long power outage left inmates in near-freezing darkness, with malfunctioning toilets and unsanitary conditions. A Justice Department investigation later resulted in a $10 million settlement for more than 1,600 prisoners.

Today, the MDC remains the only federal detention centre in New York City, following the closure of Manhattan’s jail after Jeffrey Epstein’s death in 2019 a stark contrast to the life Maduro once lived, now captured in that brief clip of him walking in handcuffs on camera.