Spain extradites former Venezuelan military intelligence chief to U.S. for cocaine trafficking

Spain ordered the extradition of Venezuela's former military intelligence chief, Hugo Carvajal, to the United States on Tuesday. 

The decision came after the European Court of Human Rights denied an effort made by Carvajal to avoid his extradition and was authorized by Spain. 

“Since the precautionary measure granted by the European Court of Human Rights has been lifted, the Third Section [of the High Court] urges Interpol to hand over the defendant” to U.S. authorities, the court said in a statement. 

Hugo Armando “El Pollo” Carvajal was the head of military intelligence under Hugo Chavez from July 2004 until December 2011. He is wanted by Washington for events that took place from 1999 to 2019 when he belonged to the criminal organization Cartel of the Suns.

The organization, led by Diosdado Cabello, is accused of collaborating with the Colombian FARC and other armed groups to introduce large quantities of drugs to the U.S.

In 2019, Carvajal fled from Venezuela after being stripped of his rank for supporting President Nicholas Maduro’s opponent, Juan Guaido, and calling on for the shipment of humanitarian aid to Venezuela. 

He fled the country by boat, arriving in the Dominican Republic after a 16-hour journey. After being on the run for almost two years, he was arrested on September 9, 2021, in Madrid. 

In 2011, an indictment filed in New York accused him of coordinating the transport of more than 5.6 tonnes of cocaine from Venezuela to the U.S. According to the U.S., Carvajal “used cocaine as a weapon against the United States due to the adverse effects of the drug on individual users.”

After his arrest in Spain in September, a high court ruled that Carvajal should be extradited to the U.S. in October. Carvajal appealed to the Supreme Court of Spain against the decision to extradite him.

If convicted, Carvajal could face between 10 years and life in prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.