US federal law provides for capital punishment for certain drug crimes when committed as part of an ongoing criminal enterprise.
MADRID, Spain.- Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro could face the death penalty in the United States if he is found guilty of federal drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges against him, according to the newspaper. New YorkPost.
According to that medium, US federal law provides for capital punishment for certain drug-related crimes when they are committed as part of a “continuous criminal enterprise.” This legal possibility, however, is considered exceptional and its application in drug trafficking cases is rare in the country’s judicial practice.
The article of New York Post It also points out that the Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi, assured that both Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will face American justice. However, so far the Department of Justice has not specified whether it will formally request the death penalty in the event of a possible conviction.
Specialists cited by the media emphasize that, although the law allows the death penalty in very specific cases, federal courts rarely impose it in drug trafficking proceedings, especially when there are no directly associated homicides. The progress of the case and the decisions of the prosecution will be decisive in defining the scope of the penalties that could be requested in this process.
The judicial process is taking place in the Federal Court of the Southern District of New York, in Manhattan, where Maduro remains detained after being transferred to US territory. In his first court appearance this Monday, the former ruler pleaded not guilty of charges that include conspiracy to import cocaine, narcoterrorism and crimes related to the use of weapons.
The charges against Maduro are four: narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. The case is being handled by the Prosecutor’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The accusation, according to Reutersmaintains that Maduro and other Venezuelan leaders “abused their positions of public trust” and corrupted institutions to “import tons of cocaine” into the United States. It also alleges that they provided “police cover and logistical support” to drug trafficking groups such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang, with benefits that, according to the Department of Justice, reached senior officials.
