What was Hugo Carvjal involvement with narcos
Executive summary
Hugo Armando “El Pollo” Carvajal Barrios was a senior Venezuelan military intelligence official who has admitted in U.S. federal court to participating in narco‑terrorism and drug‑trafficking conspiracies, including conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and using weapons in those conspiracies [1] [2]. U.S. prosecutors say he exploited his role as director of Venezuela’s military intelligence to benefit the Cartel de los Soles and to partner with the FARC, allegations he has since both confirmed through a guilty plea and used to provide further accusations from U.S. custody [1] [3] [4].
1. Career and position that enabled alleged narco ties
Carvajal rose to become director of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DIM/DGIM), serving in senior security posts under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, a position U.S. prosecutors say he used to support drug trafficking networks tied to the so‑called Cartel de los Soles [4] [3]. The Department of Justice and the U.S. State Department documents describe Carvajal as having “held multiple positions of public trust” and exploiting those posts to assist drug shipments and partners, which is central to the government’s narrative of official complicity [3] [5].
2. Criminal charges, extradition and guilty plea
The Southern District of New York charged Carvajal with narco‑terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and related firearms offenses; he was arrested in Spain, extradited in 2023, arraigned in Manhattan, initially pleaded not guilty and then pleaded guilty in June 2025 to the counts in that indictment [3] [1] [6]. U.S. authorities framed the charges as involving both cocaine shipments to the U.S. and coordination with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a group the indictment treats as a terrorist organization, which underpins the “narco‑terrorism” label [1] [7] [8].
3. Alleged operational ties to narco networks and weapons use
Prosecutors allege Carvajal not only facilitated cocaine trafficking but also partnered with the FARC and oversaw or enabled use and possession of machineguns and destructive devices in connection with the trafficking and narco‑terrorism conspiracies, charges that carry mandatory minimum sentences reflecting the gravity the U.S. assigns to those activities [3] [1]. Multiple briefings and public statements from U.S. law enforcement describe the broader conspiracy as violent and state‑enabled, linking Carvajal to a pattern of corruption and protection for traffickers within Venezuelan security institutions [7] [5].
4. Post‑plea claims, cooperation and contested assertions
Since his incarceration, Carvajal has offered cooperation and publicly made sweeping allegations against the Maduro government, asserting that narcotics were weaponized and that state institutions were turned toward organized crime and intelligence operations abroad; those claims have been published in letters and media interviews but remain subject to corroboration by authorities and journalists [9] [10] [11]. Reporting notes that his change of plea raised speculation he struck a deal to reduce his sentence in exchange for information on senior Venezuelan figures, which would be consistent with prosecutors’ public framing but also creates incentives for contested or self‑serving testimony [2] [12].
5. What is established — and what remains disputed
What is established in public legal records is that Carvajal was extradited to the U.S., charged with and pleaded guilty to narco‑terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons offenses tied to alleged cooperation with the FARC and facilitation of the Cartel de los Soles [3] [1] [6]. What remains disputed or awaits external corroboration are the full breadth of his post‑conviction allegations — including claims about U.S. officials, election tampering, and espionage — which outlets such as Snopes and mainstream press coverage have treated cautiously and which rely largely on Carvajal’s own statements from custody [13] [2] [10].