Spain Approves Extradition of Chavista General After Letting Him Escape
After letting him escape, the Spanish government ratified
the extradition of Hugo Carvajal, Venezuela’s former head of military
intelligence, who evaded international justice and is currently absconding.
On Tuesday, March 3, the Spanish Council of Ministers
explained that the United States is requesting the extradition of Carvajal
because of his participation in the transport of drug shipments in the “Cartel
of the Suns” between 1999 and 2019.
The text points out that Carvajal, who directed Venezuelan
military intelligence between 2004 and 2011, allegedly participated in crimes
such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and collaborating with the
Colombian guerrilla group FARC.
In June 2019, the Council of Ministers agreed to continue
the judicial proceedings, and on September 17, 2019, the Third Section of the
Criminal Chamber of the National Court ruled to refuse the extradition and
released Carvajal; this action allowed the former Venezuelan official to flee.
In November 2019, the Spanish National Court approved
Carvajal’s extradition to American soil. However, the government itself has
reportedly let him slip past. It was a “suspicious escape” as the Spanish
police arrived at Carvajal’s home in Madrid four days after the court decision
ordering his extradition to the US was revealed.
In 2015, the South Florida District Attorney’s Office
charged Carvajal and one of his subordinates, Pedro Luis Martin Olivares, with
the crime of drug trafficking. He was also sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury
Department for supporting Colombian guerrilla groups in drug trafficking
activities. According to press reports, the investigations revealed that the
two had collaborated in the distribution of drugs destined for the United
States.
The information disclosed in 2015 points to Carvajal as one
of the operators of the Cartel of the Suns, controlled by members of the
Venezuelan army alongside senior officials of the regime.
We should remember that in 2014 Carvajal was arrested in
Aruba for allegedly organizing the failed shipment of 5.6 tons of drugs. U.S.
judicial authorities were seeking to extradite him but desisted after threats
from the Chavista regime to send warships to the island. At that time, Maduro
argued that Carvajal had diplomatic status, and later received him in the South
American country as a hero.
The retired general has confidential intelligence
information inside the regime. In fact, he said on Twitter that he gave
evidence to international justice about what is happening in Venezuela.
Carvajal knows where the main leaders of Chavismo involved
in drug trafficking and human rights violations are located; he knows how
Cubans operate around Maduro and the weak points of the Venezuelan
dictatorship. He also knows who the front men for the leaders of the United
Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) are and their assets abroad. Moreover, he
has information on the terrorist groups that are active in Venezuela and those
financed by the regime across the Americas.
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