Venezuelan ex-general says anti-Maduro plot excuses him from drug charges

FILE PHOTO: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro looks on as he meets Colombia's Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva at the Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela, October 4, 2022. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A retired Venezuelan general facing U.S. drug charges on Tuesday said his involvement in a plot to oust President Nicolas Maduro showed he was innocent, and urged U.S. prosecutors to disclose information linking him to the planned rebellion.

U.S. prosecutors say Cliver Alcala and other senior Venezuelan government officials conspired with the FARC Colombian rebel group to ship cocaine to the United States. Alcala pleaded not guilty after surrendering to U.S. agents in Colombia in 2020.