MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s High Court has ordered the immediate extradition of a former director of Venezuelan military intelligence to the United States. The individual, Hugo Carvajal, is wanted on drug trafficking charges and is currently in custody in Spain.
This decision comes after the European Court of Human Rights denied Carvajal’s effort to avoid extradition. Carvajal, who served as the eyes and ears of late President Hugo Chavez within Venezuela’s military, had earlier been authorized for extradition by Spain.
The court has stated that the U.S. Embassy and the prison authorities where Carvajal is being held in Estremera, near Madrid, will be informed of the extradition order. The Third Section of the High Court has urged Interpol to hand over Carvajal to U.S. authorities, in line with the original ruling from 2019.
Interpol has not provided any immediate comment regarding this matter.
In 2020, the United States accused Carvajal, alongside more than a dozen other high-ranking Venezuelan officials, including President Nicolas Maduro, of drug trafficking. Carvajal has been in Spanish custody since his arrest in September 2021 in Madrid. He has consistently denied involvement in cocaine trafficking to the United States.
Carvajal’s lawyer based in the U.S. has declined to comment at this time. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, responsible for prosecuting the case against Carvajal, has also refrained from commenting.
Reporting by Emma Pinedo, additional reporting by Inti Landauro in Madrid, Luc Cohen in New York, editing by Andrei Khalip and William Maclean.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
