Hugo Carvajal issues not-guilty plea to drug trafficking allegations

Former Venezuelan military intelligence director Hugo Carvajal pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in the US after being extradited from Spain.

The 63-year-old entered his plea before US Magistrate Judge Stewart Aaron in Manhattan federal court, following his arrival in the US on Wednesday.

Carvajal’s lawyer, Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma, stated that he would apply for his client’s release on bail at a later date, emphasizing Carvajal’s claim of being “categorically innocent” of the charges.

Margulis-Ohnuma expressed Carvajal’s eagerness to fight the charges in court before an unbiased American jury.

Federal prosecutors allege that Carvajal, a close aide to late President Hugo Chavez, coordinated the shipment of 5,600 kg (1,235 pounds) of cocaine from Venezuela to Mexico in 2006, intending it to reach the US.

Carvajal, also known as ‘El Pollo,’ played a prominent role in the failed 1992 coup that brought Chavez to political prominence and was a significant figure during Chavez’s rule from 1999 to 2013.

US-Venezuela relations have deteriorated significantly since the rise of Chavez and his successor, current President Nicolas Maduro.

Numerous Venezuelan military leaders, politicians, and businessmen have faced US charges related to drug trafficking and other malpractices.

Carvajal was initially arrested in 2014 in Aruba, where Venezuela sought to accredit him as consul. He was released and returned to Venezuela after the Netherlands government granted him diplomatic immunity, which disappointed and disturbed the US State Department.

In 2017, Carvajal opposed Maduro by objecting to the creation of an all-powerful legislature. In 2019, after the US recognized an opposition leader as Venezuela’s legitimate ruler in an attempt to oust Maduro, Carvajal released a video urging the military to support the “return to democracy.”

Subsequently, he was detained in Spain on US drug charges in 2019, but he went into hiding after a court initially approved his extradition. He was re-arrested in 2021 before being extradited to the US for the trial on drug trafficking charges.

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