Overview
- Attorney Robert Feitel confirmed that Hugo 'El Pollo' Carvajal sent a letter from federal custody to President Donald Trump detailing alleged regime-run narcotrafficking operations.
- Carvajal claims the strategy was conceived in the mid-2000s, approved by Hugo Chávez and later expanded by Nicolás Maduro with assistance from the FARC, ELN, Cuban operators and Hezbollah.
- He alleges the Venezuelan state armed and enlarged the Tren de Aragua gang and that members exploited U.S. migration policies under President Joe Biden to infiltrate operatives into the country.
- The former intelligence chief writes that the aim was to flood U.S. cities with drugs as social warfare, corrupting Venezuela’s institutions and preparing contingency plans to retain power.
- U.S. records show Carvajal was extradited from Spain in 2023, pleaded guilty in June to four charges, and has sentencing delayed until February 2026, while Caracas denies accusations echoed in the letter and Trump’s team treats Maduro as leading a terrorist-designated network.