Overview

• On June 25 in Manhattan federal court, Hugo Carvajal Barrios admitted guilt to four counts including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation and weapons offenses.
• As director of Venezuela’s military intelligence, he led the Cartel de Los Soles in partnership with the FARC to flood the U.S. with cocaine.
• Court filings allege he coordinated a 5.6-ton cocaine shipment from Venezuela to Mexico in 2006 and supplied arms to support drug-trafficking and terrorist activities.
• Carvajal was extradited from Spain in 2023 after more than a decade on the run and previously served as a top adviser to President Hugo Chávez.
• His plea opens the way for debriefings on Venezuelan gang networks and foreign espionage threats ahead of his October sentencing.