NEW YORK, June 26, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuela's former intelligence chief Hugo Armando Carvajal pleaded guilty Wednesday to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges in a US federal court, the Justice Department said.

The 65-year-old, known by the nickname "El Pollo" (The Chicken), was once one of the most powerful men in Venezuela, having served under the former Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

Carvajal pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, participation in narco-terrorism for the benefit of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group, and weapons-related offenses, according to a Justice Department statement.

"Today's guilty plea demonstrates our commitment to holding accountable foreign officials who abuse their power to poison our citizens," US Attorney Jay Clayton was quoted as saying in the statement.

Carvajal, who served as head of military intelligence from 2004 to 2011, "will likely spend the rest of his life in federal prison," according to Acting Director of the Drug Enforcement Agency, Robert Murphy.

The statement added that Carvajal had participated in violence, including kidnappings and murder, to facilitate cocaine trafficking.

The Miami Herald reported that the former official pleaded guilty "in a deal that leaves open the possibility of his cooperation with law enforcement in exchange for a reduced sentence".

Citing sources familiar with the case, the newspaper said that Carvajal offered to provide US authorities with documents and testimony implicating current Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other senior Venezuelan officials "in a range of illegal activities, from drug trafficking and election rigging to espionage operations and arming gangs".

Caracas and Washington have had strained relations for years.

The two countries have had no diplomatic relations since 2019. The United States has also imposed economic sanctions and an oil embargo on the South American country.