Former Venezuelan spymaster pleads guilty to US drug trafficking charges
A former director of Venezuelan military intelligence has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges in a United States federal court, according to the Justice Department, a week before his trial was set to begin.
Hugo Carvajal, who served in the country's late President Hugo Chavez's government from 2004 to 2011, pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court on Wednesday to four criminal counts including narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons charges.
Federal prosecutors alleged the former major-general, along with other high-ranking Venezuelan government and military officials, led a drug cartel that attempted to 'flood' the US with cocaine.
The cartel partnered with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a now demobilised armed group that the US once considered a 'terrorist' organisation, to produce and distribute cocaine, prosecutors alleged.
In a letter this week to the defence counsel, prosecutors said they believe federal sentencing guidelines call for the 65-year-old to serve a mandatory minimum of 50 years in prison.
'The deeply troubling reality is that there are powerful foreign government officials who conspire to flood the United States with drugs that kill and debilitate,' Jay Clayton, the interim US lawyer in Manhattan, said in a statement.
'El Pollo'
Nicknamed 'El Pollo', 'the chicken' in Spanish, Carvajal took part in the failed 1992 coup that lifted Chavez to political prominence and is considered one of the most powerful figures of the socialist leader's 1999-2013 rule.
Carvajal then served as a diplomat representing current Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government before breaking with him to support the US-backed political opposition.
Carvajal was extradited to the US from Spain in July 2023 following a more than 10-year effort by the Justice Department to bring him to US soil.
Carvajal's sentencing is scheduled for October.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Former Venezuelan spymaster pleads guilty to US drug trafficking charges
A former director of Venezuelan military intelligence has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges in a United States federal court, according to the Justice Department, a week before his trial was set to begin. Hugo Carvajal, who served in the country's late President Hugo Chavez's government from 2004 to 2011, pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court on Wednesday to four criminal counts including narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons charges. Federal prosecutors alleged the former major-general, along with other high-ranking Venezuelan government and military officials, led a drug cartel that attempted to 'flood' the US with cocaine. The cartel partnered with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a now demobilised armed group that the US once considered a 'terrorist' organisation, to produce and distribute cocaine, prosecutors alleged. In a letter this week to the defence counsel, prosecutors said they believe federal sentencing guidelines call for the 65-year-old to serve a mandatory minimum of 50 years in prison. 'The deeply troubling reality is that there are powerful foreign government officials who conspire to flood the United States with drugs that kill and debilitate,' Jay Clayton, the interim US lawyer in Manhattan, said in a statement. 'El Pollo' Nicknamed 'El Pollo', 'the chicken' in Spanish, Carvajal took part in the failed 1992 coup that lifted Chavez to political prominence and is considered one of the most powerful figures of the socialist leader's 1999-2013 rule. Carvajal then served as a diplomat representing current Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government before breaking with him to support the US-backed political opposition. Carvajal was extradited to the US from Spain in July 2023 following a more than 10-year effort by the Justice Department to bring him to US soil. Carvajal's sentencing is scheduled for October.
Al Jazeera
8 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Ecuador captures ‘Fito', country's most wanted fugitive gang leader
The fugitive leader of Ecuador's Los Choneros gang has been recaptured after nearly 18 months on the run, according to President Daniel Noboa. Jose Adolfo Macias, also known as 'Fito', escaped from Guayaquil prison in January 2024, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking and murder. Following his capture, Macias will now be extradited to the US, where he was indicted by a federal court for charges related to drug trafficking and firearms smuggling, Noboa said on the X social media platform on Wednesday. Noboa had previously offered $1m for assistance in Macias's capture and dispatched thousands of police officers and members of the armed forces to find him. 'My recognition to our police and military who participated in this operation. More will fall, we will reclaim the country. No truce,' Noboa said on X. Para los que se opusieron y dudaron de la necesidad de las leyes de Solidaridad e Inteligencia: gracias a esas leyes, Fito fue capturado hoy y está en manos del Bloque de Seguridad. Mi reconocimiento a nuestros policías y militares que participaron en esta operación. Caerán más,… — Daniel Noboa Azin (@DanielNoboaOk) June 25, 2025 Macias reportedly escaped ahead of his transfer to a maximum-security prison, but authorities have yet to explain how he succeeded. The successful escape 'triggered widespread riots, bombings, kidnappings, the assassination of a prominent prosecutor, and an armed attack on a TV network during a live broadcast', according to the United States government, leading Noboa to declare a 60-day state of emergency across Ecuador. The Ecuadorian president also designated 22 gangs, including Los Choneros, as 'terrorist groups'. The US Department of the Treasury separately sanctioned both Macias and Los Choneros in February 2024 for drug trafficking and instigating violence across Ecuador. Ecuador was once one of Latin America's most peaceful countries, but its proximity to Peru and Colombia – the world's top producers of cocaine – has made it a prime target for criminal groups exporting drugs abroad. Competition between rival local gangs, backed by foreign criminal syndicates from Mexico to as far as Albania, has led to an explosion in violence across the country.
Qatar Tribune
14 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Iran to temporarily suspend cooperation with IAEA
The Iranian parliament has voted to temporarily suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), state broadcaster IRIB reported on Wednesday. The move came amid conflicting reports over how badly the country's nuclear programme was damaged by the targeted US strikes at the weekend. IAEA head Rafael Grossi had earlier called for nuclear inspections in Iran to resume following the ceasefire between the Islamic Republic and Israel. Iran would not allow any IAEA inspectors into the country until the 'safety' of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed, said Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The decision by the Iranian parliament not to work further with the IAEA still needs to be approved by Iran's Guardian Council and the Security Council. The Security Council, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, is the most important political decision-making body in the country. US-Iran talks ongoing When it came to current relations with Iran, the US is 'actually getting along with them very well right now,' President Trump said. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed late Tuesday that the US has begun talks with Iran on a permanent peace agreement. Speaking on Fox News, Witkoff said that the talks are 'promising.' 'We're already talking to each other, not just directly, but also through interlocutors,' he said. (DPA)
