Chavismo's former spy chief reveals to Trump Maduro's criminal machinery to harm the U.S.

Hugo "El Pollo" Carvajal, former director of Military Intelligence of Venezuela, delivered a written statement to President Donald Trump on Wednesday detailing how the criminal structure he belonged to within the Chavista regime operated for two decades.

The document, shared with The Dallas Express, represents the most extensive description by a former top Chavista commander of how the so-called Cartel of the Suns, its cooperation with international actors and its operations directed against the United States.

Carvajal, extradited from Spain in 2022 and already convicted in the US for narco-terrorist conspiracy, assures that his current purpose is to "atone" and fully collaborate with federal authorities. He says he is prepared to provide information on how the Venezuelan regime allegedly used drugs, criminal networks and relationships with foreign intelligence services to maintain its hold on power, as well as intermediaries, inside and outside the United States, who facilitated those operations. The accusations he makes have not been verified by independent sources.

Carvajal describes the Venezuelan regime as a "narco-terrorist organization".

In his letter to President Trump, Carvajal argues that the Venezuelan state apparatus evolved into a structure dedicated to using cocaine as a weapon against the United States. He explains that the regime would have designed routes to introduce tons of drugs into U.S. cities and that this strategy would have been conceived in coordination with the Cuban regime and executed together with the FARC, the ELN and Hezbollah agents.

Infiltration, espionage and cooperation with Russia and Cuba

The former intelligence chief affirms that there were operational agreements with Russian, Cuban, and Chinese intelligence services. He claims that Russian agents proposed to tap submarine cables connecting South America with the United States, while Cuba allegedly ran espionage networks that infiltrated U.S. military installations on the East Coast.

Carvajal asserts, "For twenty years, the Venezuelan regime sent spies into your country—many are still there, some disguised as members of the Venezuelan opposition." He also affirmed that Cuban intelligence showed him how they operated inside U.S. naval bases and affirmed that certain individuals sent "today are career politicians."

Likewise, he claims that U.S. diplomats and officials would have received payments to facilitate the permanence of Chávez and Maduro in power. These accusations have not been corroborated by third parties.

Export of the Aragua Train and use of criminal gangs

Another section of his statement describes how the regime would have organized and trained criminal structures to reinforce internal control, highlighting the role of Tren de Aragua, one of the most expansive gangs in the region.

According to Carvajal, these groups were strengthened in Venezuela and later encouraged to operate abroad, including in the United States, taking advantage of a favorable migratory context. He assures that its members received orders to continue committing crimes to finance foreign operations.

Smartmatic and the export of electoral technology

Carvajal also dedicates a section to Smartmatic, a company founded by Venezuelans and historically used in electoral processes inside and outside the country. He assures us—from his experience in the Chavista electoral apparatus—that the system "can be altered" and affirms that it was conceived as a tool to ensure control of power in Venezuela before expanding internationally.

Carvajal writes that the technology "was later exported abroad, including to the United States." "Regime operatives maintain relationships with election officials and voting-machine companies inside your country. I do not claim that every election is stolen, but I state with certainty that elections can be rigged with the software and have been used to do so," he said.

The letter comes amid increased pressure from Washington on Maduro.

The delivery of this document comes as the Trump Administration has stepped up its actions against drug trafficking-linked structures associated with the Venezuelan regime. The president has indicated that he is evaluating additional measures within Venezuela and recently expressed his conviction that Nicolás Maduro will leave power.

In his letter, Carvajal openly endorses the White House strategy and concludes, "The regime I served is not merely hostile—it is at war with you, using drugs, gangs, espionage, and even your own democratic processes as weapons."