Arya News - Colombian media outlets reported that businessman Alex Saab, an alleged front man for former President Nicolás Maduro, was captured in Venezuela.
Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Colombian media outlets reported that businessman Alex Saab, identified as an alleged front man for former President Nicolás Maduro, was captured in Venezuela during a joint operation involving Venezuelan security agencies and agents of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to those reports, Saab was placed under the custody of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service while possible extradition to the United States is evaluated.
Saab had previously been detained in the United States after being extradited from Cape Verde in 2021, where he faced charges of money laundering and conspiracy linked to food contracts with the Venezuelan government.
He remained in prison until December 2023, when he was released following a pardon granted by then-President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner exchange with Caracas.
In March 2024, U.S. courts dismissed the charges against him.
Reports of a new detention began circulating Wednesday after Caracol Radio cited U.S. intelligence sources, who said the operation took place about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday at a residence in eastern Caracas.
Saab"s lawyer, Luigi Giuliano, denied that his client had been detained and described the information as .
In statements to the Colombian daily El Espectador, he said the businessman was "calmly at his home in Caracas."
The reports also indicated that Venezuelan businessman Raúl Gorrín, owner of the television network Globovisión, was allegedly detained during the same operation. Gorrín has been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for the alleged payment of bribes to Venezuelan officials, according to U.S. investigations.
Saab, who was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, built a close relationship with the chavista leadership through businesses linked to international trade, particularly contracts associated with the state-run subsidized food program CLAP and social housing projects.
According to regional press reports, those multimillion-dollar operations made him a key figure for the Venezuelan regime and one of the main financial operators of chavismo , which is why he has been identified as an alleged front man for Maduro.
In 2018, the Venezuelan government appointed him as a special envoy and granted him diplomatic status to shield him from judicial proceedings abroad, a designation the United States did not recognize.
After his return to Venezuela, Saab was incorporated into the government and held positions linked to industrial and investment policy until his departure earlier this year, as part of an internal restructuring ordered by interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
Some unconfirmed reports indicated that Saab may have been transferred to El Helicoide , the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, while judicial and diplomatic steps were being determined. That information could not be independently verified.