Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.
How can they charge him with weapons possession that happened in a different country? Is the US saying they can just prosecute anyone on the planet for having weapons? I also assume Maduro didn’t literally own machineguns and destructive devices, the Venezuelan military does. So does that mean they are prosecuting a head of state for the fact that their army has machineguns and explosives? WTF
Edit: Would be hilarious if they lose the trial, the current regime doesn’t have a great record on prosecuting people.
So I looked up the weapons possession charge, and it seems like Maduro could be guilty under the statute of her possessed a machinegun (really any full auto firearm) in furtherance of the drug trafficking activity. Even if the weapons were only possessed outside of US jurisdiction.
Short version: the “possession of weapons charge” is actually for possession while drug trafficking.
I don’t know if they have to prove that Maduro physically handled a weapon or not. But if they do, and they don’t have that evidence, he could still be guilty of the subsequent conspiracy charge.
Edit: For the avoidance if doubt, the drug trafficking is very important to the whole case, because that’s what gives the US courts extraterritorial jurisdiction.
How can they charge him with weapons possession that happened in a different country? Is the US saying they can just prosecute anyone on the planet for having weapons? I also assume Maduro didn’t literally own machineguns and destructive devices, the Venezuelan military does. So does that mean they are prosecuting a head of state for the fact that their army has machineguns and explosives? WTF
Edit: Would be hilarious if they lose the trial, the current regime doesn’t have a great record on prosecuting people.
Easy. They have the military strength to do it and no one is going to stop them. That’s how they can do it.
So I looked up the weapons possession charge, and it seems like Maduro could be guilty under the statute of her possessed a machinegun (really any full auto firearm) in furtherance of the drug trafficking activity. Even if the weapons were only possessed outside of US jurisdiction.
Short version: the “possession of weapons charge” is actually for possession while drug trafficking.
I don’t know if they have to prove that Maduro physically handled a weapon or not. But if they do, and they don’t have that evidence, he could still be guilty of the subsequent conspiracy charge.
Edit: For the avoidance if doubt, the drug trafficking is very important to the whole case, because that’s what gives the US courts extraterritorial jurisdiction.