The United States has confirmed that it will request the extradition of former General Chavis Hugo Carvajal

The United States Department of Justice has announced that "plans to request extradition"in Spain to the former head of Venezuelan military counterespionage Hugo Carvajal, who is accused by Washington of drug trafficking.

The Southern District New York District Attorney's Office, which, according to a statement "plans to request extradition"in Carvajal, accuses him of being part of a drug trafficking network dedicated to the United States a shipment of cocaine, including 5.6 tons in 2006.

To be finally extradited and judged, Carvajal incurs a 10-year sentence of imprisonment and life imprisonment.

If he agreed to extradition, the Venezuelan military officer would immediately be sent to the United States, but if he rejected it, a court case would be brought before the Spanish national court, which would last several month.

His arrest comes after the trip to Spain last week of the US special envoy to Venezuela, Elliot Abrams, one of the ideologues of Washington's strategy to overthrow Maduro.

Carvajal, nicknamed the "Chicken", was in charge of the Military Counterintelligence Bureau (Dgcim) from 2004 to 2011 and was later an official MP.

However, after the leader of the opposition, Juan Guaidó, declared himself interim president of Venezuela in January, Carvajal broke his loyalty with Nicolás Maduro's regime and he urged the rest of the army to do the same.

"Here again is a soldier for the causes of freedom and democracy to be useful in achieving the constitutional restoration goals of allowing us to call free elections," Carvajal said in a video produced for Guaidó.

One day after expressing his support for Guaidó, the "number two" Chavism, Diosdado Cabello, accused Carvajal of negotiating with Washington for the dropping of charges related to drug trafficking.

(With information from EFE)