TALES FROM FENTYLAND. 10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT...

lhpgop
7 days ago
5 min read

1. “The Government is the Cartel” – Maduro as Narco-Terrorist-in-Chief

(Ed. Note: this is apart of a series on revelations of Hugo Carvajal)

Revelation:Carvajal has described Maduro’s government as a “narco-terrorist organisation”, and U.S. prosecutors say he helped run a cocaine-smuggling group inside the Venezuelan state—“Cartel de los Soles”—that worked with FARC to send tons of cocaine to the U.S.

Usefulness to Trump admin:This is the legal foundation for:

treating Venezuela not as a corrupt government that tolerates trafficking, but as a designated foreign terrorist / narco-terrorist regime
justifying full-spectrum sanctions enforcement, naval blockades, and kinetic actions under self-defense and anti-terror rationales (you’re already seeing Trump’s current team move in that direction with UN arguments about depriving Maduro and Cartel de los Soles of resources).

It turns every tanker, aircraft, and front company tied to the regime into a legitimate interdiction target, not just “sanctions violators.”

2. The FARC–Venezuela Narco-Terror Axis

Revelation:In his plea and related filings, Carvajal admits to coordinating narco-terrorism for the benefit of FARC, including a 2006 shipment of more than 12,000 pounds of cocaine and long-term collaboration between Venezuelan military/intel and FARC leadership.

Usefulness to Trump admin:FARC and its dissident offshoots have been central to:

cocaine production
regional insurgency
ideological export

A Trump DOJ/State could use Carvajal’s testimony to:

tighten terrorist designations and sanctions on FARC splinters and their protectors in Venezuela
press Colombia (even a left government) to cooperate more aggressively against FARC dissidents operating from Venezuelan safe havens
justify joint operations (intel, cyber, interdiction) as counter-terror not merely “drug war.”

3. The Iran–Hezbollah–Venezuela Triangle

Revelation:Open-source work plus congressional testimony already documented Hezbollah’s crime-terror network in Venezuela(training, laundering, logistics). Carvajal, as ex-military intelligence chief, is in a position to fill in the operational guts:

who in the Venezuelan state handled Hezbollah
how passports, cover companies, and routes were used
where Iranian operatives intersected with the network.

Usefulness to Trump admin:For a hawkish Trump NSC, this is gold for:

linking the Latin American theater directly to Iran policy
justifying joint counter-terror ops (incl. designating segments of Venezuelan state as material supporters of Hezbollah)
building cases in Treasury/OFAC to freeze banks, shipping firms, and shell companies tied to that nexus.

It also gives Trump a concrete, documented basis to say: “Hezbollah isn’t just in the Middle East; they’re on our hemisphere’s doorstep, courtesy of Maduro and Havana.”

4. Cuba as Mastermind of the Caracas Security Machine

Revelation:Analysts and think tanks (Heritage, Atlantic Council, etc.) already point to Cuba as architect of the security doctrine in Caracas—embedding Cuban officers in Venezuelan intelligence, military, and counterintelligence. Carvajal can confirm:

the depth of Cuban penetration
specific Cuban-intel units, liaison structures, and operational directives
how Havana coordinated with Caracas on narco, militants, and repression.

Usefulness to Trump admin:This supports:

hardline sanctions and terror designations against Cuba, not just for its own conduct but as mastermind of a hemispheric narco-terror architecture
stronger justification for cutting any remaining loopholes in travel, remittances, and shipping
potentially even multilateral cases showing Cuba as “ground zero” for communist terrorism and destabilization in the region.

Carvajal’s insider detail turns a policy argument into a criminal/intel brief.

5. Illegal Financing of European Left Parties (Podemos, M5S, etc.)

Revelation:Carvajal has repeatedly claimed that the Venezuelan regime illegally financed hard-left movements abroad, including Spain’s Podemos and Italy’s Five Star Movement, via covert funds.

Usefulness to Trump admin:For a Trump White House, this is dynamite in three ways:

Diplomatic leverage over EU governments– quietly remind Madrid, Rome, Brussels: “We know which of your parties took narco-state money.”
Intel & law-enforcement cooperation– offer to share evidence in exchange for support on Venezuela, Iran, Hezbollah, and sanctions enforcement.
Narrative warfare– publicly frame certain European left elites as “Maduro’s and Havana’s political investments”, undermining their moral high ground in lecturing the U.S. on democracy and human rights.

This turns Carvajal into a witness to foreign interference in Western politics—from the left, not from Russia alone.

6. Financing Kirchnerism and Other Latin American Hard Left

Revelation:Carvajal has also been cited alleging Venezuelan financing for Kirchner-aligned politics in Argentina and other far-left movements in Latin America over at least 15 years.

Usefulness to Trump admin:This provides:

a direct link between Venezuelan narco money and regional political destabilization
ammunition for a hemispheric anti-corruption / anti-narco coalition with friendly governments (e.g., in Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, etc., if they lean anti-Bolivarian)
a basis for targeted sanctions on specific politicians, NGOs, and front groups that knowingly took illicit Venezuelan funds.

Think of it as the “Latin America version” of the Russia-money argument, but grounded in narco-state cash.

7. Use of PDVSA and State Structures as Laundering & Political Cash Machines

Revelation:While the details are spread across reporting, Carvajal’s broader narrative is that the Venezuelan state, especially via PDVSA and related state entities, functioned as a money-laundering and political-funding engine for domestic elites and foreign allies.

Usefulness to Trump admin:This is critical for:

expanding secondary sanctions: any bank, shipping firm, or trader touching PDVSA could be treated not just as handling “corrupt funds” but “narco-terrorist regime proceeds”
building civil and criminal forfeiture cases in U.S. and allied courts against frozen assets, real estate, shell companies, and accounts linked to PDVSA-mediated schemes
pressuring European and Asian energy firms: “Deal with PDVSA, and you are dealing with documented narco-terror proceeds.”

It turns energy policy into lawfare + financial warfare.

8. Venezuelan Passport and Identity Operations for Terror & Crime Networks

Revelation:Congressional testimony and security research have long flagged the issuance of Venezuelan documents (passports, IDs, travel documents) to Hezbollah and other operatives. Carvajal can likely provide names, dates, and bureaucratic mechanisms:

which ministries and officers processed fake or “strategic” citizenships
which airports and embassies were used
which nationalities and organizations benefited.

Usefulness to Trump admin:This is a tool for:

tightening visa, asylum, and entry screening for anyone touching Venezuelan documentation networks
justifying travel bans, revocations of visas, and watchlisting tied to Venezuelan document fraud
making the case at the UN and OAS that Venezuela isn’t just a failed state but a document factory for terrorist and criminal networks.

That directly supports Trump-world’s broader border-security and national-security migration narrative without needing new “theories”—this is concrete.

9. Russian & Other Great-Power Support to Maduro’s Narco-Terror State

Revelation:Recent reporting on Carvajal’s post-plea statements emphasize that he’s warning the U.S. about a “narco-terrorist regime” propped up by Russia and Cuba, with Iran and Hezbollah in the mix.

Usefulness to Trump admin:This helps:

reframe Venezuela not as a local nuisance but as a multi-power proxy platform (Russia–Iran–Cuba) in the Western Hemisphere
justify military, cyber, and economic pressure on Russia and Iran via their Venezuelan foothold
pressure NATO allies: “You want us focused on Russia in Europe? Then back us on Russia’s narco proxy in Venezuela.”

In other words, Carvajal offers the narrative and factual bridge between “great-power competition” and “narco-terror in the Americas.”

10. European Foot-Dragging on Extradition Because of Political Complicity

Revelation / Inference supported by reporting:Spain took roughly two years to finally extradite Carvajal to the U.S., despite the charges and U.S. pressure. Commentators in Europe and Latin America have openly speculated that left parties allegedly funded by Venezuela had zero interest in Carvajal testifying on their money trails.

Usefulness to Trump admin:A Trump White House can use this as:

quiet leverage in bilateral talks with Spain, Italy, and others: “You sat on a key narco-terror witness while your own parties were on his payout list.”
justification to limit intel sharing with specific agencies or political circles seen as compromised
fodder for public diplomacy: exposing how “rule of law” EU governments dragged their feet over a narco-terror case to protect their own political class.