Venezuela detains Alex Saab in joint operation with United States
Colombian-Venezuelan businessman Alex Saab — long portrayed by U.S. authorities as a key financial operator for Chavismo and a former Venezuelan industry minister — was detained in Caracas early Wednesday in what Colombian media described as a joint operation involving Venezuela’s intelligence service (SEBIN) and the FBI. Venezuela’s government had not issued an official confirmation by the time of publication.
A U.S. official told Reuters under anonymity that Saab was arrested “as part of a joint operation” between U.S. and Venezuelan authorities and said he is “expected to be extradited to the U.S. in the coming days.”
Caracol Radio reported Saab was seized around 2:30 a.m. in the upscale Cerro Verde area of Caracas and transferred to the Helicoide detention complex. The same reports said businessman Raúl Gorrín — owner of Globovisión and sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury — was also detained in the operation. Regional outlets echoed those details, though independent confirmation on the Venezuelan side remains limited.
The accounts were swiftly contested. Reuters reported that a man cited by Colombia’s El Espectador as Saab’s lawyer, Luigi Giuliano, denied the arrest as “fake news,” while pro-government journalists posted denials on social media. Reuters also said Venezuela’s communications ministry did not respond to requests for comment, and Globovisión did not immediately respond to inquiries.
If extradited, Saab would return to a case that has been central to U.S. efforts against corruption networks linked to Venezuela’s leadership. U.S. prosecutors have accused him of laundering money and facilitating bribery schemes connected to state-controlled exchange mechanisms and major government contracts. Saab was arrested in 2020 in Cape Verde on a U.S. warrant and later held in the United States for more than three years before being granted clemency as part of a prisoner exchange.
That 2023 swap underscored both his political value to Caracas and Washington’s legal interest in his alleged financial networks. The Associated Press reported at the time that Saab’s release formed part of a deal tied to freeing Americans jailed in Venezuela.
