Former Venezuelan spymaster pleads guilty to US drug trafficking charges

Hugo Carvajal pleads blameworthy to 4 transgression counts including narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine.

A erstwhile manager of Venezuelan subject quality has pleaded blameworthy to cause trafficking and narcoterrorism charges successful a United States national court, according to the Justice Department, a week earlier his proceedings was acceptable to begin.

Hugo Carvajal, who served successful the country’s precocious President Hugo Chavez’s authorities from 2004 to 2011, pleaded blameworthy successful a Manhattan national tribunal connected Wednesday to 4 transgression counts including narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons charges.

Federal prosecutors alleged the erstwhile major-general, on with different high-ranking Venezuelan authorities and subject officials, led a cause cartel that attempted to “flood” the US with cocaine.

The cartel partnered with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a present demobilised equipped radical that the US erstwhile considered a “terrorist” organisation, to nutrient and administer cocaine, prosecutors alleged.

In a missive this week to the defence counsel, prosecutors said they judge national sentencing guidelines telephone for the 65-year-old to service a mandatory minimum of 50 years successful prison.

“The profoundly troubling world is that determination are almighty overseas authorities officials who conspire to flood the United States with drugs that termination and debilitate,” Jay Clayton, the interim US lawyer successful Manhattan, said successful a statement.

‘El Pollo’

Nicknamed “El Pollo”, “the chicken” successful Spanish, Carvajal took portion successful the failed 1992 coup that lifted Chavez to governmental prominence and is considered 1 of the astir almighty figures of the socialist leader’s 1999-2013 rule.

Carvajal past served arsenic a diplomat representing existent Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s authorities earlier breaking with him to enactment the US-backed governmental opposition.

Carvajal was extradited to the US from Spain successful July 2023 pursuing a much than 10-year effort by the Justice Department to bring him to US soil.

Carvajal’s sentencing is scheduled for October.