Latest news with #HugoCarvajal
Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Politics
- 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.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Venezuela's ex-spymaster pleads guilty to US drug trafficking charges
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A former director of Venezuelan military intelligence, Hugo Carvajal, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges in U.S. federal court, the Justice Department said in a statement. Carvajal, 65, once one of the most powerful figures in the Venezuelan government, pleaded guilty to four criminal counts including narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, and weapons charges. He faces a maximum of life 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 U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement. A lawyer for Carvajal did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Federal prosecutors alleged Carvajal, along with other high-ranking Venezuelan government and military officials, led a drug cartel that coordinated the shipment of tons of cocaine bound for the United States. The cartel partnered with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a now demobilized guerrilla group that the United States once considered a terrorist organization, to produce and distribute cocaine, prosecutors alleged. Carvajal was late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's eyes and ears within the South American country's military for more than a decade. Nicknamed "El Pollo," the chicken, 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 was extradited to the United States from Spain in 2023 following a more than 10-year effort by the Justice Department to bring him to U.S. soil. His sentencing in U.S. court in Manhattan is scheduled for October.
DW
6 hours ago
- Politics
- DW
Former Venezuelan general pleads guilty in drugs case – DW – 06/26/2025
Hugo Carvajal was extradited to the US from Spain in 2023. The former spy chief pleaded guilty to narcoterrorism, weapons, and drug trafficking charges. A former head of Venezuela's military intelligence pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges a week before his trial was set to begin in a United States federal court. Hugo Carvajal — a close aide of the country's late President Hugo Chavez — on Wednesday pleaded guilty to four criminal counts, including narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons charges. The indictment accused the retired major general of leading a cartel composed of senior Venezuelan military officers that attempted to "flood" the US with cocaine in collusion with leftist guerrillas from neighboring Colombia. The 65-year-old faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Carvajal's sentencing is slated for October. Nicknamed "El Pollo," Spanish for "the chicken," Carvajal advised Chavez for over a decade and is considered one of the most powerful figures of the socialist leader's rule. The spymaster later broke with current President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's chosen successor, to support the US-backed political opposition. In 2023, Carvajal was extradited from Spain after being on the run from US law enforcement for more than 10 years. "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 attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement on Wednesday. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Venezuela's ex-spymaster pleads guilty to US drug trafficking charges
WASHINGTON: A former director of Venezuelan military intelligence, Hugo Carvajal, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges in U.S. federal court, the Justice Department said in a statement. Carvajal, 65, once one of the most powerful figures in the Venezuelan government, pleaded guilty to four criminal counts including narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, and weapons charges. He faces a maximum of life 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 U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement.
The Sun
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Ex-Venezuelan spy chief pleads guilty to drug charges
WASHINGTON: A former director of Venezuelan military intelligence, Hugo Carvajal, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges in U.S. federal court, the Justice Department said in a statement. Carvajal, 65, once one of the most powerful figures in the Venezuelan government, pleaded guilty to four criminal counts including narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, and weapons charges. He faces a maximum of life 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 U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement.
