Hugo Carvajal, a once in command of military intelligence, is accused of cocaine trafficking.
According to his attorney, Hugo Carvajal, who oversaw Venezuela’s military intelligence during the late Hugo Chavez’s administration, has been extradited from Spain to the US.
According to Carvajal’s lawyer Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma, the actor arrived in the United States on Wednesday and is scheduled to make his court debut on Thursday in Manhattan.
Additionally, the US Attorney’s office in Manhattan, which filed the accusations against the 63-year-old, confirmed the extradition to Reuters.
Prosecutors in New York believe that between 2004 and 2011 and again between 2013 and 2014, Carvajal, who oversaw Venezuela’s military intelligence, used his position to aid cocaine trafficking by Colombia’s FARC guerrilla group, which is now disarmed. According to their allegations, in 2006, Carvajal organised the transport of 1,235 pounds (5,600 kg) of cocaine from Mexico to the US. Any connections to the FARC or drug trafficking have been categorically refuted by the former spymaster.
Following the European Court of Human Rights’ rejection of Carvajal’s final plea to prevent extradition to the US last week, a Spanish court on Tuesday ordered his immediate extradition. Judges in Strasbourg found that it was not possible to substantiate the defense’s assertions that the former spy chief stands a “real risk” of being given a life sentence without the possibility of parole in the United States.
As Juan Guaido, a US-backed opposition leader, failed to gain power in Venezuela in 2019, Carvajal fled the country. He had urged the military to turn on President Nicolas Maduro. For a number of reasons, including treason and supporting terrorism, he is wanted in his home country.
Carvajal may be of interest to the US as well, according to reports, because he is said to have information that might implicate Maduro, a fervent foe of the US.
The former intelligence director was initially detained in Spain in 2019, but escaped extradition to the US after a court ruled that the American request to hand him over was “politically motivated.”
To avoid being exposed by America, he betrayed Maduro. Former Venezuelan spy chief “to turn himself in” to the US to face “narco-terrorism” allegations
However, Carvajal fled into hiding and wasn’t apprehended again until September 2021, despite judges eventually retracting their ruling. Police claim that throughout that time, he remained in Spain, frequently changing addresses and even getting plastic surgery to hide his identity.
