Wigged out: A Venezuelan spymaster's life on the lam

3 years ago 284

MADRID – Wigs, a fake moustache, integrative country and a caller harmless location each 3 months — these are conscionable immoderate of the tools of deception authorities successful Spain judge a erstwhile Venezuelan spymaster relied connected to evade seizure connected a U.S. warrant for narcoterrorism.

The two-year manhunt for Gen. Hugo Carvajal ended Thursday nighttime erstwhile police raided a rundown apartment successful a quiescent Madrid vicinity wherever they recovered the fugitive successful a backmost country holding a crisp weapon successful what they described arsenic a past hopeless effort to evade arrest.

Nicknamed “El Pollo” (“The Chicken”), Carvajal has been a thorn successful the broadside of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration since 2014, erstwhile helium was arrested successful Aruba connected a U.S. warrant lone to spell escaped aft President Nicolás Maduro’s authorities pressured the tiny Dutch Caribbean land to merchandise him.

He returned to Caracas an anti-imperialist leader but was rapidly relegated to a insignificant relation successful the ruling socialist party. Then successful 2019 helium broke with Maduro amid a question of antigovernment unrest, urging chap members of the subject to power allegiance to Juan Guaidó, the absorption person the U.S. had conscionable recognized arsenic Venezuela’s morganatic president.

He resurfaced successful Europe months later, greeted astatine Madrid's airdrome by 2 Spanish quality officers aft traveling determination with a mendacious passport, The Associated Press has antecedently reported. From there, helium had hoped to proceed plotting against Maduro.

But helium was forced underground a 2nd clip aft Spain’s National Court successful 2019 ruled that helium should beryllium extradited to New York to look national charges that helium worked with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, oregon FARC, to “flood” the U.S. with cocaine.

While connected the lam, helium was rumored to beryllium successful Portugal, past a hideout successful the Caribbean. Some Venezuelans — ever up for a bully conspiracy — believed helium was already connected U.S. ungraded spilling secrets astir the Venezuelan military’s engagement successful cause trafficking, oregon had returned to Caracas to marque amends with the authorities helium had vowed to overthrow. Others speculated helium was being protected by Spain’s leftist government, which has strayed from the U.S.′ hardline argumentation seeking to isolate Maduro.

The world was overmuch simpler: The 61-year-old had ne'er near Madrid. His past hideout was a specified 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the office of the National Police.

“If they really negociate to extradite him this time, it volition beryllium a spectacular mode to amusement however justness is winning implicit diplomacy and quality operations,” said Dick Gregorie, who arsenic a national authoritative successful Miami besides indicted Carvajal connected cause charges.

Gregorie compared Carvajal to different spymaster helium investigated, erstwhile Panamanian strongman Gen. Manuel Noriega. Both men, helium said, were susceptible of cutting deals connected each sides portion scuttling the pursuit of justice.

“He could've been sent present a fig of times but for assorted reasons that are undisclosed helium was allowed to go," said Gregorie, who is present retired. “But helium is astir apt the astir knowledgeable suspect with regards to each of the corruption and soiled deeds that went connected successful Venezuela for a decade.”

Carvajal’s seizure appears to person been made imaginable acknowledgment to quality provided by the DEA successful June, according to a papers published Friday by Spain’s El Mundo newspaper. In the two-page confidential letter, Dustin Harmon, a DEA attache successful Madrid, provided constabulary with the sanction and interaction details for a Venezuelan pistillate helium said owned and lived successful the flat wherever Carvajal was hiding.

Harmon's missive besides alerted Spanish authorities that Carvajal was known to usage wigs and different disguises, arsenic good arsenic acquisition integrative surgery, to debar detection. The DEA declined to comment.

Spanish constabulary said a canine was Carvajal’s changeless companion successful what was different a precise lonely, restricted life.

“He changed hideouts each 3 months, utilizing properties successful which helium lived cloistered, without going retired into the streets, for fearfulness helium would beryllium recognized publicly,” constabulary said successful a statement.

Steeped successful spy craft, helium changed phones often and relied connected others to present food. He breathed caller aerial lone astatine night, erstwhile helium would measurement onto his apartment’s plant-covered balcony successful disguise, constabulary said helium told them upon his arrest.

Video released by Spain’s National Police connected Friday showed peculiar forces breaking into the apartment, wherever the fugitive’s beingness had gone unnoticed adjacent by those sharing the 12-story building.

The U.S. had offered $10 cardinal for Carvajal's arrest, repeatedly advertizing the reward arsenic bait successful the hopes that idiosyncratic from Carvajal's interior ellipse would betray him.

But it's not instantly wide if idiosyncratic snitched. His woman Angélica Flores, who lived successful Madrid with the couple’s 5 children and different relatives, provided small insight.

“I’m prepared for either situation, the bully oregon the bad,” she told the AP erstwhile contacted by telephone with the news. “It’s up to him and others to springiness statements. This lawsuit volition proceed and we’ll spot however it ends.”

The lawsuit against Carvajal successful New York centers connected a DC-9 pitchy from Caracas that landed successful confederate Mexico successful 2006 with 5.6 tons of cocaine packed into 128 suitcases. He faces incriminating grounds from telephone records, cause ledgers and the grounds of astatine slightest 10 witnesses, among them erstwhile members of the alleged “Cartel of the Suns” comprised of corrupt Venezuelan subject officers steeped successful the narcotics trade, according to an affidavit accompanying the indictment.

The New York indictment besides repeats an accusation that Carvajal provided Colombian rebels with automatic weapons and extortion wrong Venezuela.

“Carvajal is the cardinal nexus that tin explicate the concern dealings betwixt Colombian guerrillas, Mexican cause cartels and different transgression organizations successful the U.S. and Europe,” said Martin Rodil, a Washington-based information advisor for U.S. instrumentality enforcement who has worked connected aggregate Venezuelan investigations. “He was the hinge betwixt each those groups.”

The erstwhile wide has scoffed astatine the allegations. He says his contacts with the FARC — designated a violent enactment by the U.S. — were authorized by Chávez and constricted to securing the merchandise of a kidnapped Venezuelan businessman and paving the mode for bid talks with the Colombian government. He besides maintains that judicial probes successful Venezuela and Mexico ne'er linked him to the cocaine-laden level and that the aircraft's proprietor backs his alibi.

The extradition bid against Carvajal followed a back-and-forth ineligible conflict successful which Spain’s National Court reversed an earlier ruling by a precocious tribunal magistrate throwing retired the U.S. warrant for being politically motivated. In the interim, Carvajal was released and fled erstwhile helium was tipped disconnected helium would beryllium rearrested. He wasn't heard from again but erstwhile helium said past twelvemonth that helium was going underground to protestation what helium viewed arsenic governmental interference successful his case.

He resurfaced connected societal media earlier this month, posting what could beryllium a preview of his eventual defense: a connection accusing erstwhile Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, who was for years the U.S.′ main caretaker successful the warfare connected drugs, of “fabricating” grounds against him and the Chávez authorities adjacent arsenic it was cooperating with U.S. prosecutors to apprehension Colombian narcos hiding wrong Venezuela

“It’s a prevarication that volition yet collapse,” Carvajal wrote. “I’ve ever trusted that the information volition prevail.”

___

Goodman reported from Miami.

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