Fallen Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro could face the death penalty if convicted on federal drug-trafficking and other charges. The strongman was nabbed at his Caracas palace in a daring US raid and is now being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn pending his arraignment Monday on a four-count indictment. If found guilty, Maduro is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars — or worse.
Under federal law, a defendant found guilty of violating the Controlled Substances Act “as part of a continuing criminal enterprise” can be eligible for the death penalty, according to the Library of Congress. Federal capital offenses fall under categories that are, namely, homicide, treason or espionage and drug offenses that do not include a homicide.
