A former senior Venezuelan military official who once operated at the highest levels of the Chávez government has issued a warning to the United States, stating that Venezuela’s socialist regime has weaponized narcotics against Americans for years.
Retired three-star General Hugo Carvajal Barrios, formerly one of the most influential figures within the Caracas government, is now serving time in a U.S. federal prison after voluntarily pleading guilty to a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
From his jail cell, he has written a letter addressed to President Donald Trump and the American public outlining his account of the regime’s activities.
Hugo Carvajal Barrios, former Venezuelan Military Intelligence Director under Chavez and Maduro. Carvajal warns of Maduro's regime is waging war on the U.S. through drugs, gangs, espionage, and election interference.
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The letter comes as debate continues in the United States regarding actions taken by President Trump against Venezuelan narco-terrorist networks.
Among the critics is Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales, however, said she supports Trump’s approach and cited Barrios’ claims as justification.
Gonzales referenced Paul’s recent comments.
She said the senator is “going out and giving these little, like, press junkets where he’s telling people, like, ‘Well, these guys weren’t armed. You need to prove that they’re armed first.’”
She responded to that argument by saying, “You know what they’re armed with, Rand? Drugs that they’re bringing into our country to kill Americans with. That’s what they’re armed with.”
Barrios opened his letter with a statement on why he chose to speak publicly.
“I see the need to address the American people about the reality of what the Venezuelan regime truly is — and why President Trump’s policies are not only correct, but absolutely necessary to the United States’ national security,” he wrote.
He described the transformation of the government he once served.
“I personally witnessed how Hugo Chavez’s government became a criminal organization that is now run by Nicolas Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, and other senior regime officials. The purpose of this organization, now known as the Cartel of the Suns, is to weaponize drugs against the United States,” Barrios said.
He said the distribution of narcotics into U.S. communities was intentional.
“The drugs that reached your cities through new routes were not accidents of corruption nor just the work of independent traffickers; they were deliberate policies coordinated by the Venezuelan regime against the United States,” he wrote.
Barrios detailed an international network that he said works with the Venezuelan government.
He claimed the operation has “been successfully executed with help from FARC, ELN, Cuban operatives, and Hezbollah.”
According to Barrios, “The regime has provided weapons, passports, and impunity for these terrorist organizations to operate freely from Venezuela against the United States. The regime I served is not merely hostile — it is at war with you, using drugs, gangs, espionage, and even your own democratic processes as weapons.”
Barrios concluded his message by expressing support for Trump’s actions.
“I absolutely support President Trump’s policy towards Venezuela, because it is in self-defense and he is acting based on the truth,” he said.
Gonzales discussed Barrios’ motivations for speaking from prison.
“He’s already been sentenced. He’s serving time in federal prison. And he’s like, ‘I just want to make this right within my soul.’ So I’m going to explain all of this to you,” she said.
She said the former general’s letter adds context to the administration’s position.
“It probably makes a whole hell of a lot of sense why the Trump administration is going so hard on Venezuela regardless of whether they’re armed with guns. … Innocent Americans are dying, and they don’t have to, because of the Venezuelan government.”
“We need to do something about that,” she added.
