Venezuela’s ex-spy chief pleads guilty to narco-terrorism charges
The former chief of Venezuela’s military intelligence, Hugo Carvajal, has pleaded guilty to narco-terrorism charges in a U.S. federal court. The 59-year-old Carvajal, also known as “El Pollo” (The Chicken), served as the head of military intelligence under the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Carvajal was arrested in Spain in April 2019 at the request of the United States on charges of drug trafficking and providing support to Colombia’s FARC rebel group. After a lengthy legal battle, he was extradited to the United States in November 2021.
During the court hearing in New York, Carvajal admitted to collaborating with Colombian guerrillas and providing them with weapons and protection while also protecting cocaine shipments in Venezuela. He confessed to exploiting his position to facilitate drug trafficking operations in exchange for bribes.
The U.S. authorities have long accused high-ranking Venezuelan officials of being involved in drug trafficking, using their positions to aid cartels and guerrilla groups while lining their pockets. Carvajal’s guilty plea is seen as a significant development in the ongoing efforts to hold accountable those responsible for narco-terrorism in Venezuela.
On the other hand, supporters of the Venezuelan government argue that the charges against Carvajal are politically motivated, part of a broader campaign by the U.S. to undermine the socialist regime of Nicolas Maduro. They claim that Carvajal’s confession might have been coerced or fabricated to discredit the Venezuelan leadership.
The sentencing for Carvajal is scheduled for September 20, 2022, where he could face up to 30 years in prison. The case has drawn international attention as it sheds light on the alleged connections between Venezuelan officials and illicit activities, adding another layer of complexity to the already tense relations between Venezuela and the United States.
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Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “Venezuela’s ex-spy chief pleads guilty to narco-terrorism charges”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
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3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.