Alex Saab, the Colombian-Venezuelan businessman long described as Nicolás Maduro's financial frontman, has reportedly been detained in Caracas during a joint operation involving Venezuela's intelligence agency and the FBI. According to intelligence sources (via The Guardian), Saab was taken into custody overnight at a luxury residence in the capital, where billionaire media mogul Raúl Gorrín, owner of Globovisión, was also allegedly arrested. While Venezuela's government has not officially confirmed the operation, a US official said Saab's detention resulted from cooperation between Washington and Caracas and that extradition to the United States could follow within days.
Saab's lawyer has dismissed the reports as "fake news," insisting his client remains free, while representatives for Gorrín likewise denied any arrest. However, regional intelligence sources claim Saab is being held at Sebin's detention centre, marking a dramatic turn for a man who once sat at the heart of Chavismo's financial machinery. Saab was indicted in the US in 2019 over an alleged $350 million corruption and money-laundering scheme, extradited in 2021, and later released in a 2023 prisoner swap before returning to Venezuela and briefly serving as a government minister.
The reported arrest comes amid intense political upheaval following Maduro's downfall, with interim leader Delcy Rodríguez purging key figures from the former regime. While several senior officials have already been removed, powerful figures such as interior minister Diosdado Cabello remain in place, underscoring the fragile and volatile nature of Venezuela's transition. If confirmed, Saab's detention would signal a significant escalation, and a clear warning that even the most protected figures of the old order may no longer be untouchable...