Former Venezuelan intelligence chief pleads guilty to US drug charges

Hugo Carvajal faces narco-terrorism and weapon charges amid accusations he helped lead a drug-trafficking group

A former top Venezuelan military intelligence chief has pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court to narco-terrorism conspiracy, drug-trafficking and weapons charges, piling further US pressure on the government of Nicolas Maduro.

Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, AKA El Pollo" or The Chicken", was the director of Venezuela's military intelligence under presidents Hugo Chavez and Maduro. On Wednesday, days before his trial was set to begin, he pleaded guilty to four federal counts, related to accusations that he helped lead a drug-trafficking group within the Venezuelan government.