Former head of Venezuelan military intelligence, Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court in the USA to drug trafficking and illegal possession of weapons charges. This was reported by The Guardian, writes UNN.
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Carvajal, known by the nickname "El Pollo" (The Chicken), held a leadership position in Venezuela's intelligence during the presidencies of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. According to the investigation, he participated in organizing cocaine shipments to the USA and led a drug cartel that operated within the Venezuelan state structure.
In 2023, he was extradited to the United States from Spain. According to the prosecution, Carvajal could become a valuable witness and provide information about the Maduro regime, drug gang activities, and Venezuela's ties to Iran. He faces a life sentence.
"Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios was once one of the most powerful people in Venezuela. For years, he and other officials... used cocaine as a weapon, flooding New York and other American cities with this poison," said US Attorney Jay Clayton.