The Brooklyn jail currently holding Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has a troubled history of violence, poor conditions, and high-profile inmates that has made it infamous in the U.S. federal prison system.

Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC Brooklyn), which opened in the early 1990s, serves as the primary holding facility for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan and Brooklyn. With approximately 1,300 inmates, the facility houses alleged gangsters and drug traffickers alongside those accused of white-collar crimes.

On Saturday night, crowds of Venezuelan expatriates gathered outside the jail, many draped in flags, to celebrate Maduro’s capture. They cheered as the law enforcement motorcade believed to be carrying the deposed leader and his wife arrived at the facility.

Maduro joins a list of notable political figures who have been detained at MDC Brooklyn. Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, was imprisoned there while on trial for cocaine trafficking before receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump in December after being sentenced to 45 years.

The jail has housed numerous high-profile inmates over the years. Current detainees include Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, and Luigi Mangione, accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Former inmates include cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried and Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate.

Located in a waterfront industrial area with a view of the Statue of Liberty, MDC Brooklyn has been described by critics as a “hell on earth” and an “ongoing tragedy.” The facility has faced persistent problems with violence, with two prisoners killed by other inmates in 2024 alone. Staff corruption has also plagued the jail, with workers charged with accepting bribes and providing contraband to inmates.

During a particularly notorious incident in the winter of 2019, a power outage left the facility and its inmates without heat or electricity for a week, exposing them to frigid conditions during one of the coldest periods of the year.

However, the federal Bureau of Prisons claims it has made significant efforts to improve conditions at the facility in recent years. These improvements include adding correctional and medical staff, addressing over 700 backlogged maintenance requests, and upgrading electrical systems, plumbing, food service, and climate control infrastructure.

Federal authorities have also intensified efforts to combat criminal activity inside the jail. In March, 23 inmates were charged with various offenses, including smuggling weapons in a Doritos bag and the stabbing of a man convicted in the killing of hip-hop legend Jam Master Jay.

“In short, MDC Brooklyn is safe for the inmates and staff,” the Bureau of Prisons stated in September. The agency also noted that a decrease in the inmate population from 1,580 in January 2024 has led to a “substantial decrease” in crime and contraband within the facility.

While at MDC Brooklyn, Maduro may encounter some familiar faces once he leaves the isolated quarters where he will initially be housed. One is co-defendant Hugo Carvajal, Venezuela’s former spy chief who broke ranks with Maduro in 2019 and has expressed willingness to cooperate with U.S. authorities. Another is Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, an alleged member of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang who was arrested last year in New York on firearms charges.

The facility has faced increased scrutiny since 2021, when the Bureau of Prisons closed its other New York City jail, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, following Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide there. That incident highlighted security failures, deteriorating infrastructure, and dangerous, unsanitary conditions similar to those that have plagued MDC Brooklyn.