Former Venezuelan Spy Chief and Chavez Pal Arrested on Drug-Trafficking Charges

The former head of Venezuelan military intelligence was arrested Friday in Spain over U.S.-related drug charges, The Wall Street Journal reports. Hugo Carvajal, one of the few high-ranking Venezuelan officials to have defected from current President Nicolas Maduro's rule, is reportedly accused of coordinating the transport of 5.6 tons of cocaine from Venezuela to Mexico in 2006. Carvajal was reportedly a confidante of Maduro's predecessor, the late Hugo Chávez, and started serving as the leader of the military intelligence directorate in 2004. The Treasury Department accused him of coordinating the drug shipments in 2008, along with providing weapons to Colombian guerrillas. Earlier this month, Carvajal posted on Twitter that he knew about the corruption among Venezuela's current officials—including how they allegedly hid assets abroad, their links to drug trafficking, and connections to terror groups. He reportedly said that the information he knew should be passed along to officials in the U.S. and Europe. This comes after the U.S. and other Western countries have recognized Venzuela's opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as the country's only legitimate leader.