ISTANBUL

A former Venezuelan military intelligence chief has pleaded guilty in the US to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges, admitting his role in smuggling cocaine to American cities.

Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, once a close ally of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, was a member of the Cartel de los Soles, a trafficking network linked to senior Venezuelan military officers, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

“Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios was once one of the most powerful men in Venezuela. For years, he and other officials … used cocaine as a weapon – flooding New York and other American cities with poison,” US attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement on Wednesday.

Carvajal collaborated with Colombia’s left-wing rebels, the Revolutionary Armed Forces, supplying them with weapons and protecting their cocaine shipments to the US through Venezuela in exchange for millions of dollars, the statement said.

His surprise guilty plea comes after two years of denying the charges and has fueled speculation he may cooperate with US authorities in exchange for a reduced sentence, possibly providing information about the government of Nicolas Maduro, the country’s current president.

The US charged Maduro with narco-terrorism five years ago and has imposed sanctions on him and senior officials.

“After years of trying to evade law enforcement, Carvajal Barrios will now likely spend the rest of his life in federal prison. As evidenced in this case, DEA will relentlessly pursue anyone who uses violence, drugs, and intimidation to compromise the safety and security of the United States,” said Robert Murphy, acting administrator of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.