Colombian businessman Alex Saab — widely regarded as Nicolás Maduro’s chief money launderer — was arrested Wednesday in Caracas during a joint operation between the FBI and Venezuelan authorities, according to multiple reports. Apparently, accountability still exists… even if it sometimes takes a detour through bad political decisions.
Caracol Radio and El Colombiano reported that Saab was taken into custody as part of coordinated action between U.S. and Venezuelan officials. Reuters, citing a U.S. law enforcement source, also confirmed the joint operation and said Saab is expected to be extradited to the United States “in the coming days.”
Saab, 54, was first arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 and was facing charges for using the U.S. financial system to launder $350 million stolen from Venezuelan state funds. Back then, U.S. authorities were treating him exactly like what he was — a financial lifeline for a corrupt socialist regime.
During President Donald Trump’s first term, Saab was sanctioned in 2019 for his role in the Venezuelan government’s corrupt CLAP food program, which has long been accused of enriching regime insiders while ordinary Venezuelans struggled to eat.
Then came December 2023, when former President Joe Biden released Saab and sent him back to Venezuela as part of a prisoner swap with Maduro. The Biden administration claimed this move would somehow reduce illegal migration by addressing the so-called “root causes.” Because, as we all know, freeing a money launderer always fixes international crises… right?
As of press time, Venezuela’s socialist government has neither confirmed nor denied Saab’s arrest. His lawyer, Luigi Giuliano, told El Espectador that the reports are “fake news” and insisted Saab is “calm in Caracas.” That may be true — but calm doesn’t mean innocent.
Socialist National Assembly chief Jorge Rodríguez avoided answering questions about Saab’s capture during a Wednesday night press conference, saying, “I am a congressman; this is not within my area of expertise.” An impressive dodge, even by regime standards.
Reports also indicate that Venezuelan businessman Raúl Gorrín was arrested in the same joint operation. Gorrín, a fugitive closely linked to Maduro, was charged in 2024 by a federal grand jury in Florida for participating in a $1.2 billion money laundering scheme.
In 2013, Gorrín bought an 80 percent stake in Globovisión, once Venezuela’s only major private news channel and a fierce critic of the regime. After the purchase, the channel’s criticism disappeared and was replaced with a “centrist” tone — funny how that works when corrupt money shows up.
The Trump administration sanctioned Gorrín in 2019, accusing him of exploiting Venezuela’s strict currency controls to steal more than $2.4 billion through corruption.
If extradition proceeds, this case could mark a major step toward real accountability for the financial architects behind Maduro’s regime — and a reminder that the sanctions and enforcement policies put in place under President Trump were aimed at the right targets all along. Justice may take time, but when it arrives, it still sends a powerful message: crime and socialism don’t get diplomatic immunity forever.
