• LiveLM@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    53
    ·
    8 days ago

    This is so wild, not even for a second could I see this coming.

    So, what’s next? They’re gonna put him in jail???

    • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      14
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      8 days ago

      This is so wild, not even for a second could I see this coming.

      The US fucking about in South America and its political stability? It’s been a primary hobby of the US since the beginning. We just got distracted by 9/11 and took a break for a bit.

        • JasonDJ@lemmy.zip
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          8 days ago

          A dog wags its tail because the dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail were smarter, the tail would wag the dog.

    • mkwt@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      8 days ago

      Pretty much. There’s a live indictment in New York on drug and weapons charges, from 2020. It’s not clear yet if they’re going to prosecute that one, or a different one.

      They’re going to rely on the Noriega precedent to justify this.

      • Kirp123@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        32
        ·
        edit-2
        8 days ago

        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.

        • frongt@lemmy.zip
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          8 days ago

          Easy. They have the military strength to do it and no one is going to stop them. That’s how they can do it.

        • mkwt@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          8 days ago

          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.

    • matlag@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      8 days ago

      Come on! It’s still a righful democracy! He will be promised a fair trial before committing suicide.