A former Venezuelan three-star general and military intelligence chief, Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, nicknamed 'El Pollo,' is reportedly in talks to become a star witness in the federal criminal case against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Carvajal, who was tracked by the DEA for nearly two decades for his alleged role in drug trafficking, has expressed a desire to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors to 'atone by telling the full truth.' His testimony is compared to that of Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano against John Gotti, suggesting it could be highly damaging to Maduro. Carvajal previously pleaded guilty in June 2025 to charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and faces a potential life sentence.
The article details Carvajal's past escapes from U.S. manhunts and his eventual extradition from Spain. It also highlights the Justice Department's stringent standards for cooperating witnesses and the potential evidentiary value Carvajal's testimony could bring, especially given the U.S. government's focus on the 'Cartel de los Soles.'
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