Former Venezuelan Spy Chief Carvajal Signals Willingness to Testify Against Maduro

On April 26, 2026, CNN reported that Hugo Carvajal ('El Pollo'), former head of Venezuela's DGCIM military intelligence service, had signaled willingness to serve as a star witness against Nicolás Maduro in his Southern District of New York narco-terrorism trial. Carvajal had already pleaded guilty in 2025 to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges. A December 2025 letter from Carvajal to President Trump surfaced publicly, in which he described his extensive firsthand knowledge of Maduro's narco-state: FARC cocaine shipments coordinated through Venezuelan state infrastructure, coordination with Hezbollah's Tri-Border Area operations, and the role of Cuban intelligence in protecting the network. Legal experts noted Operation Absolute Resolve's January 3 capture of Maduro had dramatically changed the incentive structure for Venezuelan officials; Carvajal was among several insiders evaluating cooperation. The case was expected to be complex under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA), and legal analysts said a trial was unlikely to begin in 2026 given extensive classified discovery requirements.