Spain hands over to the US the former head of Venezuelan Intelligence 'El Pollo' Carvajal

The North American country claimed him for alleged crimes of drug and arms trafficking

MADRID, 19 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Spain has extradited to the United States the former head of Venezuelan intelligence Hugo 'El Pollo' Carvajal after the National Court (AN) ordered Interpol to "immediately surrender" to the North American country.

Legal sources have confirmed to Europa Press that "El Pollo" is on a plane bound for the United States, which is claiming him for alleged crimes of drug and arms trafficking.

The AN activated his delivery this Tuesday after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled out that he could suffer a violation of his fundamental rights on US soil.

Specifically, the Third Section of the Criminal Chamber of the AN ordered Carvajal to be handed over, requesting that its decision be communicated to the United States Embassy in Madrid and to the director of the Estremera (Madrid) prison, where he was secluded

This was the last episode in Carvajal's extradition, which was suspended for the last time in March 2022 in compliance with the precautionary measure granted by the ECtHR pending a ruling on the lawsuit filed by his defense. On July 13, Strasbourg dismissed it, considering that 'El Pollo' failed to prove that he ran "a real risk" of being sentenced to an "irreducible" life sentence.

The defense alleged that, if handed over and tried by US courts, he could suffer a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, according to which "no one may be subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment." However, the ECtHR ruled it out, understanding that the United States has "a judicial system that respects the rule of law and the principles of fair trial."

Since last week, the National Court was only waiting for its internal services to translate the ECHR's ruling to give the order to Interpol that it finally issued this Tuesday.

The former head of Military Counterintelligence with Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro is persecuted in Washington for events that occurred between 1999 and 2019, when he would have belonged to the so-called 'Cartel de los Soles', a criminal organization allegedly managed by 'Chavista' charges that, with the alleged collaboration of the FARC and other armed groups, he would have introduced large quantities of drugs into the United States.

'El Pollo' had been in the possession of the Spanish authorities since September 9, 2021, when he was detained by the National Police, during a joint operation with the US DEA, in a Madrid apartment where he lived "totally cloistered", as reported then the security body.

His capture then revived the extradition process to the United States, which was approved in 2020 but had not been able to materialize because Carvajal fled in November 2019, although his defense emphasizes that he never left Spain.

Before his flight, Carvajal requested a first asylum claiming that he was the victim of political persecution because the US authorities placed him within Maduro's circle of trust.

This initial request was denied in 2019, but he did not have formal knowledge of it until September 2021. Thus, after being arrested, he reacted by trying to get the Interior to reverse his decision, without success.

Carvajal launched a second unsuccessful asylum request, highlighting the "collaboration process" with the Spanish Justice that began after being captured and that led to the reopening of a case on the alleged illegal financing of Podemos that was filed in 2016 and returned to be in 2022.

Carvajal's defense tried several times in all these years to have his client released, although the National Court rejected it, considering that his flight risk was evident.