When Venezuelan President was taken into custody by U.S. special forces during a landmark raid in his home country, he wasn’t by himself—his wife, Cilia Flores, was detained as well.

Now transported back to the U.S. to await trial on narco-terrorism allegations, Venezuela’s high-profile pair—who entered a “not guilty” plea at their initial U.S. court hearing on Monday—will confront the “full force of American justice,” per U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Maduro is widely known, especially for his tense ties with President and his autocratic rule over Venezuela—an era that has now concluded following . Yet beyond the South American nation, First Lady Flores remains less familiar to the world; her husband famously refers to her as his “.”

As global attention turns to the detained pair, here’s key information about Maduro’s powerful spouse.

Flores boasts decades of involvement in Venezuelan politics

Flores made her first significant foray into Venezuelan politics in 1992, roughly when she first met Maduro.

That February, an unsuccessful coup was launched by former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez—then a Lieutenant Colonel—and several other military rebel leaders.

Aimed at Carlos Andres Perez, the coup failed; Chávez was imprisoned with a potential decades-long term. Flores, then an attorney, represented Chávez and other coup participants—ultimately securing their release from prison two years later in 1994 and overseeing their pardon from then-President Rafael Caldera.

In 1998, Chávez won a landslide victory in the presidential election, and Flores soon emerged as a well-known figure in Venezuelan politics. She became a National Assembly member in 2000, then six years later was named president of the National Assembly—taking over from Maduro, who had become the country’s vice president.

Flores kept that role until 2011; a year later, she became Venezuela’s attorney general under Chávez.

Flores hosted a television program focused on family values

Flores described family as “the most important thing for society, for the revolution, for this country” on her 2015 TV show, Con Cilia en Familia.

Yet behind closed doors, even with her emphasis on family, Flores wielded considerable sway over Venezuela’s legal and political systems. She cultivated her influence in the nation’s judicial circles and within the National Electoral Council.

Following Chávez’s death in 2013, Maduro assumed leadership of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela in a razor-thin race against opposition candidate Henrique Capriles. Maduro claimed the popular vote with 50.7% to Capriles’ 49.1%.

Maduro and Flores began dating in the 1990s and raised kids together, but they tied the knot only a few months after Maduro took office. “We aim to send a clear message about strengthening the Venezuelan family,” Maduro stated after the private wedding, which was attended by immediate family members.

Flores stayed active in Venezuela’s political scene—including running again for the National Assembly in 2016—but prioritized a family-first mindset.

In 2008, the head of a pro-government union accused Flores of nepotism after she allegedly hired over 40 relatives to work in the National Assembly. Flores addressed these claims during Maduro’s 2013 presidential campaign, which she helped energize.

“My family secured their positions through their own merits; I’m proud of them and will defend their work whenever needed,” Flores told La Vanguardia in an interview.

Past run-ins with U.S. authorities

Flores’ relatives have also faced legal issues with U.S. authorities.

In October 2015, Flores’ nephews Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas and Efraín Antonio Campo Flores were arrested in Haiti on charges of trying to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. The DEA alleged that the proceeds from the trafficking were meant to fund Flores’ National Assembly campaign.

Flores retaliated by accusing the U.S. of kidnapping her nephews.

“We have proof that the DEA was on Venezuelan soil violating our sovereignty and committing crimes here,” Flores declared in January 2016. “The DEA committed kidnapping—a crime the defense will substantiate.”

Flores’ nephews were each sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2017 for conspiring to import cocaine, but the Biden Administration released them in 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange with Venezuela.