Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, known as “El Pollo”, was one of the most influential military intelligence commanders in Venezuela. He served as director of the Military Intelligence Directorate (DIM) during the administrations of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, which gave him direct access to confidential state operations and made him a key figure in the power structure of chavismo.
During his tenure, Carvajal was accused by multiple international organizations of actively participating in drug trafficking operations and collaborating with criminal groups such as the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). According to U.S. prosecutors, Carvajal used his position within the military apparatus to facilitate the transport of large quantities of cocaine from Venezuela to the United States, acting as part of the so-called Cartel of the Suns (Cártel de los Soles), a criminal network composed of high-ranking Venezuelan government and military officials.
In 2011 and 2014, he was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for directly assisting the FARC in drug and weapons trafficking activities. He was arrested in Spain in 2019 and, after a lengthy legal process, was finally extradited to the United States in 2023. In 2025, Carvajal pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle cocaine into U.S. territory — a major blow to Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
His confession not only confirms the direct link between senior chavismo officials and international drug trafficking, but may also open the door to future revelations and implications involving other members of the regime. Carvajal’s fall further undermines the international image of Maduro’s government and exposes the deep corruption within Venezuela’s security and intelligence apparatus.
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