Venezuela’s Asymmetric War on U.S.: Former Chavez Military Spy Puts Operation Southern Spear in Perspective

Emerald Robinson's initial reporting on Venezuela can be read here.

Hugo Carvajal's Letter: Intelligence Warfare and Operation Southern Spear

When a former intelligence chief describes his government as a criminal machine aimed at the United States, it sparks immediate interest. When that same figure claims foreign operatives are already inside American cities, the story becomes impossible to ignore. Hugo Carvajal, former Military Counterintelligence Director under Hugo Chávez, has put the United States in that position with a letter addressed to "Mr. President Trump and The People of the United States."

What makes this moment even more striking is that Carvajal is speaking from Rikers Island, where he awaits trial on federal drug trafficking charges, stemming from cocaine trafficking with Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns). His cooperation could shift how officials view a broader fight in the Western Hemisphere, touching law enforcement, border security, and ongoing concerns about foreign interference in U.S. policy.

Former Spymaster Claims Venezuela Weaponized Drugs to Destroy America, Paid Off U.S. Diplomats and Intel Officers

Emerald Robinson’s reporting pushed this story deeper into the national conversation. On her December 4 program, she highlighted key passages from Carvajal’s letter and noted how his warnings fit a broader pattern she has tracked for months.

Robinson said,

"Carvajal is confirming what our intelligence sources have been telling us about the regime’s operations on U.S. soil."

She emphasized that his claims echo reports she has covered on regime backed operatives entering through the southern border and the use of narcotics as a weapon. Her coverage raised new questions about whether U.S. agencies are taking these allegations seriously.

Carvajal’s letter, published by The Dallas Express, outlines a strategy he says was created to weaken the United States through narcotics. He describes the Cartel of the Suns as an organization formed under Hugo Chavez with help from the Cuban government. Its purpose, he writes, was to use drug trafficking as a tool of political warfare.

According to the letter, Colombian groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) joined the effort, along with Hezbollah. Carvajal alleges that Cuban operatives and Hezbollah also received support from the Venezuelan regime. He claims these groups were given passports, weapons, and immunity so they could operate across international borders. The picture he draws is not of isolated cartel drug dealings but of a coordinated strategy targeting the United States in a sophisticated form of asymmetrical warfare.

Carvajal goes even further. He says the Biden administration’s early border policies created an opening for regime-controlled operatives to enter the country. He also claims Cuba has been sending spies into the United States for decades and that some have since become career politicians. These actors, he writes, were instructed to carry out extortion, kidnapping, and targeted violence inside American cities, with every crime treated by Caracas as part of a larger mission.

Letter From Hugo Carvajal Barrios To President Donald J. Trump

Smartmatic, Election Systems, and Claims of Political Manipulation

Carvajal also makes new claims about how the regime maintained its hold on power. He states that Smartmatic was originally created as an electoral weapon for Chavez and later expanded under Maduro. In the letter, he says he placed the head of IT at Venezuela’s National Electoral Council and that the individual reported directly to him.

The technology, he argues, could be altered. He adds that elements of the same system were later exported to other countries, including the United States. While Carvajal does not claim that every election was manipulated, he insists that the software allowed tampering and that foreign operatives maintained relationships with American election officials and companies.

Whether these claims hold up under scrutiny remains to be seen, but they add pressure on U.S. agencies already grappling with bipartisan mistrust.

Inside Carvajal’s Cooperation and the Federal Tug of War

Carvajal’s cooperation almost did not happen. Retired CIA officer Gary Berntsen publicly called on the government to seek his testimony earlier this year. Berntsen argued that Carvajal had unparalleled knowledge of foreign interference, including intelligence operations involving Cuba, China, Russia, and Iran. He also warned that Carvajal knew which American officials were compromised.

Despite this, prosecutors in the Southern District of New York signaled they planned to focus solely on Carvajal’s 2011 drug case. Critics say that decision risked ignoring intelligence that could support broader national security investigations. Carvajal himself has expressed concern, telling officials he remains willing to provide more information.

Why Carvajal’s Claims Are Fueling Renewed Interest in Operation Southern Spear

Carvajal’s letter has boosted the case for the Trump administration’s moves in the Caribbean. Supporters of Operation Southern Spear describe it as a mission aimed at stopping narco terrorists before they reach the U.S. mainland. They argue that Carvajal gives a fuller explanation on how criminal groups, political actors, and foreign intelligence services are working together to undermine U.S. stability.

Carvajal insists the Maduro regime has contingency plans designed to preserve power under any scenario. He also says Venezuela allies continue to guide hostile activity. He presents a scenario where organized crime and state intelligence operate as one system.

The picture is unsettling, but it is also a reminder of how quickly geopolitical lines can shift. Whether Carvajal’s information proves decisive now depends on whether federal investigators treat his claims as central evidence or background noise. The answer may determine how the next chapter of the Venezuela conflict unfolds.

Robinson Reports

Reporting on Venezuelean rigging of U.S. elections, via X.com, by Emerald Robinson. Earlier posts by Robinson can be read here.