NEW YORK – Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ?returns to a U.S. court on Thursday on criminal charges including narcoterrorism, a statute that has rarely been tested at trial and has a limited record of success.
Maduro, 63, led Venezuela from 2013 through his capture in Caracas by U.S. special forces on Jan. 3. He pleaded not guilty on Jan. 5 to all U.S. charges against him.
The 2006 statute at issue, enacted to target drug trafficking tied to activities the United States considers terrorism, has produced just four trial convictions, a review of federal court records shows — and two were later overturned over issues stemming from witness credibility.
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