Hugo Carvajal, the former Venezuelan military intelligence director, has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in the United States following his extradition from Spain. The 63-year-old appeared before US Magistrate Judge Stewart Aaron in Manhattan federal court, arriving in the US on Wednesday.
Carvajal’s attorney, Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma, announced plans to seek his client’s release on bail at a later date, strongly asserting Carvajal’s claim of being “completely innocent” of the accusations. Carvajal is eager to defend himself in court before an impartial American jury, according to Margulis-Ohnuma.
Federal prosecutors allege that Carvajal, a trusted aide to the late President Hugo Chavez, orchestrated the transportation of 5,600 kg (1,235 pounds) of cocaine from Venezuela to Mexico in 2006, with the intention of ultimately reaching the US.
‘El Pollo,’ as Carvajal is also known, played a prominent role in the failed 1992 coup that catapulted Chavez into the political spotlight and held significant influence during Chavez’s presidency 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.