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Venezuela's ex-spy chief arrested in Madrid on US warrant
[Aljazeera] Hugo Carvajal, who had advised Hugo Chavez, recently became the biggest military figure to declare loyalty to Guaido.Venezuela's longtime spy chief was arrested Friday in Madrid by Spanish police acting on a United States warrant for allegedly trafficking tons of cocaine. Hugo Carvajal, who for more than a decade advised late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and headed the country's security apparatus, recently became the most influential military figure to declare his loyalty to opposition leader Juan Guaido. The opposition saw Carvajal's criticism of Venezuela's current government as a possible stimulus to prod other military figures to defect, but the country's armed forces have remained largely loyal to current President Nicolas Maduro. Friday's arrest is a result of a 2014 indictment by the Southern District of New York in which the US Attorney's Office accuses Carvajal of having "coordinated the transportation of approximately 5,600 kilograms of cocaine from Venezuela to Mexico" in 2006. A spokeswoman with Spain's National Court, which handles extradition cases, said that Carvajal would testify on Saturday before Judge Alejandro Abascal in Madrid. He can either accept the extradition to the United States or fight it before the court, explained the official, who wasn't authorised to be identified by name in media reports. Posted by: Besoeker 2019-04-13 |
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