former Chavista Intelligence Chief Alleges Maduro Regime Operates as ‘Cartel of the Suns‘
Table of Contents
A former high-ranking Venezuelan official has detailed alleged connections between President Nicolás Maduro and a powerful drug trafficking institution known as the “Cartel of the Suns,” offering to collaborate with U.S. authorities. The claims, made in a letter to former President Donald Trump, bolster previous accusations leveled by the Trump Governance and raise new questions about the extent of the Maduro regime’s involvement in international drug trafficking.
The allegations come from Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal, the former head of Venezuelan military intelligence, who is currently awaiting sentencing in a U.S. federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of drug trafficking and weapons possession. Carvajal, seeking to “atone for my sins,” according to his own words, asserts that the Venezuelan government under both hugo Chávez and Maduro has deliberately weaponized narcotics against the United states.
From Chávez to Maduro: A Criminal Enterprise?
Carvajal’s letter paints a damning picture of a government transformed into a criminal organization. “I was a direct witness of how the Government of Hugo Chávez became a criminal organization that is today led by Nicolás Maduro,Diosdado Cabello and other high officials of the regime,” he wrote. He alleges the “Cartel of the Suns” was established with the explicit goal of using drugs as a weapon against the U.S., a claim the Venezuelan government vehemently denies.
The plan, Carvajal claims, originated with a suggestion from the cuban regime to Chávez in the mid-2000s. It was then executed with the assistance of various groups,including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC),the National Liberation Army (ELN),Cuban operatives,and Hezbollah. According to Carvajal, the Venezuelan government provided these organizations with crucial support, including “weapons, passports and impunity.”
Expanding Criminal Networks and Exporting Chaos
Carvajal further alleges that Chávez actively recruited drug trafficking leaders and established criminal gangs, such as the notorious Tren de Aragua, ordering the deployment of “thousands of members outside the country” with the coordination of multiple Venezuelan ministries. following Chávez’s death, carvajal asserts that Maduro expanded this strategy, not only continuing the drug trade but also actively “exporting crime and chaos abroad” to target Venezuelan political exiles and manipulate crime statistics within Venezuela.
These accusations align with the Trump Administration’s designation of the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist group and its justification for considering expanded military actions in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Carvajal explicitly endorsed the policies of the Trump Administration, stating they were “not only justified, but are necessary and proportional to the threat.” He also criticized President Joe Biden’s border policies, suggesting they provided an prospect for Caracas to infiltrate operatives into the United States.
A Broader Conflict?
The former intelligence chief’s letter portrays the Venezuelan government as actively engaged in a broader conflict with the United States, utilizing drugs, criminal gangs, espionage, and even its democratic processes as instruments of warfare. Carvajal warns that Maduro’s willingness to go to extreme lengths to maintain power may be underestimated,stating the regime has “contingency plans for all extreme scenarios in order not to lose control.”
The timing of Carvajal’s letter coincides with heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas, fueled by U.S. military deployments in the Caribbean and recent controversial pardons granted by Trump to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, convicted of drug trafficking, and to Texas Congressman Henry Cuéllar and his wife, facing bribery accusations. These events underscore the complex and volatile relationship between the two nations and the ongoing struggle against drug trafficking and corruption in the region.
– The “Cartel of the Suns” allegedly originated in the 1990s with Venezuelan military officers involved in drug trafficking.
– Hugo Carvajal, known as “El Pollo,” was once a trusted ally of both Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro.
– The U.S.State Department offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Carvajal’s arrest in 2020, before he surrendered to U.S. authorities.
