Jailed in Spain, the man who was Hugo Chávez's eyes and ears in the Venezuelan military is wanted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. Nicknamed 'El Pollo' ('The Chicken'), retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal is offering to help his country's opposition.
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Nicknamed “El Pollo” , retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal had traveled from the Dominican Republic after breaking ranks with Venezuela’s socialist administration and supporting Juan Guaidó, the U.S.-backed opposition leader. From the Spanish capital he hoped to leverage contacts and knowledge of the Venezuelan deep state to mount a military-backed rebellion against President Nicolás Maduro.
The account of Carvajal’s low-key, cordial reception in Spain was provided to The Associated Press by four officials in Spain and the U.S., as well as a half dozen relatives and associates of Carvajal. They agreed to speak only if granted anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. They accuse the former general of being a prominent member of the “Cartel of the Suns,” an alleged drug-smuggling ring involving Venezuela’s military. The group’s name comes from the “sun” insignia that adorn generals’ uniforms in Venezuela.
The DEA agent also says a former judge attended a 2005 meeting at the Miraflores presidential palace with Chávez, Carvajal and two loyalists who are now key to Maduro’s political survival: socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello and former Vice President Tarek El Aissami.
Any such evidence could more firmly establish alleged links between Venezuelan officials and Colombian rebels as well as Hezbollah and other groups. But the Trump administration’s hands were tied because of the drug indictments, and Carvajal’s decision to flee to Spain was his alone, the official said. The official also cast doubt on Carvajal’s account of his efforts to promote democracy in Venezuela.
In 2013, Chávez died of cancer and Maduro became president. The new leader replaced Carvajal a few months later and appointed him as consul in Aruba, distant from the center of power in Caracas. He traveled by sea to the Dominican Republic and flew on an Air Europa flight, arriving in Madrid on March 18 on a Venezuelan passport bearing an assumed name, José Mouriño Olsen. The welcoming intelligence officials led him to a black van. Soon, he was reunited with his wife and other relatives.
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