Former Venezuelan general Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios has pled guilty to charges of narco-terrorism, weapons offenses, and drug trafficking. The announcement was made by Jay Clayton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Robert Murphy, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Carvajal Barrios admitted guilt before U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.
Jay Clayton stated, “The deeply troubling reality is that there are powerful foreign government officials who conspire to flood the United States with drugs that kill and debilitate.” He further commented on Carvajal Barrios’s influence in Venezuela and his involvement with the Cartel de Los Soles, highlighting their collaboration with a terrorist group to distribute cocaine in American cities.
Robert Murphy added, “Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios exploited his position as the director of Venezuela’s military intelligence and abandoned his responsibility to the people of Venezuela in order to intentionally cause harm to the United States.” He emphasized DEA’s commitment to pursuing those who compromise U.S. safety through violence and drugs.
According to court documents and proceedings, Carvajal Barrios played a significant role in leading the Cartel de Los Soles from at least 1999. The cartel collaborated with FARC, a Colombian terrorist organization responsible for cocaine production reaching the U.S. Carvajal Barrios used his public positions in Venezuela to aid drug trafficking efforts, including coordinating large cocaine shipments and providing protection for drug operations.
Carvajal Barrios’s co-defendant Cliver Antonio Alcala Cordones was sentenced previously to 260 months in prison for supporting FARC with firearms. Other conspirators remain at large.
Carvajal Barrios pled guilty to four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, narcotics importation conspiracy, possession of firearms including machineguns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such firearms. Sentencing is scheduled for October 29, 2025.
Jay Clayton praised various law enforcement agencies for their collaborative efforts leading to this prosecution. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs assisted significantly in securing Carvajal Barrios’s extradition from Spain on July 19, 2023.
This case forms part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States.
