Ex-Venezuelan spy chief pleads not guilty to charges alleging he flooded US with drugs

Published July 20, 2023 6:52 PM

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A former Venezuelan spy chief and longtime adviser to the country’s late leader Hugo Chávez has pleaded not guilty to decade-old drug trafficking charges, a day after his extradition from Spain. Retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal agreed during an appearance in Manhattan federal court on Thursday to remain behind bars for now. Prosecutors say he should stay there. His lawyer, Zachary Margulis, says a bail proposal will be presented soon to a judge who will preside over the case. Margulis says his client is innocent. Carvajal was brought to the United States on Wednesday to face narco-terrorism conspiracy, firearms and drug trafficking charges.

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