Maduro Ally Arrested Again, Signaling Shift in Venezuela-U.S. Relations
Caracas, Venezuela – Alex Saab, a Venezuelan businessman and close ally of President Nicolás Maduro, was arrested in Venezuela on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, in a joint operation between Venezuelan and U.S. Authorities. This marks the second time Saab has been detained by U.S. Authorities, previously facing corruption charges and spending over three years in U.S. Custody before being released in exchange for the freedom of Americans held in Venezuela.
According to a U.S. Law enforcement official who spoke to Reuters, Saab, 54, is expected to be extradited to the United States in the coming days. The official highlighted the importance of cooperation from Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim leader, in facilitating the operation. Rodríguez, as the interim leader, controls Venezuela’s law enforcement agencies and actions.
In addition to Saab’s arrest, Raúl Gorrín, director of the Venezuelan television network Globovisión, was also reportedly taken into custody during the operation. Several Colombian media outlets have reported on the detentions.
Caracol Radio, citing “sources of intelligence in the United States,” reported that Saab “had been captured in Venezuela for his extradition” to the U.S. The report detailed that the operation was a joint effort between Venezuelan authorities and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Sources indicate that Saab, accused of acting as a front man for Nicolás Maduro, is currently in the custody of Venezuela’s Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin) pending extradition. El Tiempo, a Bogota newspaper, reported that U.S. Federal agents allegedly informed Saab that the Rodríguez government had “plans to arrest him.”
When contacted by EFE regarding the operation targeting the Colombian national with significant influence within the Venezuelan government, the FBI offered “no comment.”
Conflicting Reports and Denials
Venezuela’s Public Prosecutor’s Office told EFE that “there is no confirmation of that information,” echoing statements from Colombian diplomatic sources in Caracas who said the embassy “is not in a position to confirm that.”
Pedro Carvajalino, a member of the ‘Free Alex Saab’ movement – a group that previously campaigned for Saab’s release during his initial detention in the U.S. – also denied the new arrest. “The information is false… I just spoke with him at 2 pm (18:00 GMT),” Carvajalino stated in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Saab’s wife, Camilla Fabri, who heads the Venezuelan government’s ‘Vuelta a la Patria’ (Return to the Homeland) program, received a flight carrying Venezuelan migrants from the United States at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, Caracas, on Wednesday, according to footage broadcast by Globovisión.
Previous Detention in Cabo Verde
Saab’s initial arrest occurred in Cabo Verde in 2020. He was held in the United States for more than three years on bribery charges before being granted clemency in exchange for the release of U.S. Citizens detained in Venezuela.
This latest arrest represents a dramatic turn of events, coming just one month after Maduro himself was reportedly captured by U.S. Forces in Caracas. It suggests a new level of collaboration between U.S. And Venezuelan law enforcement under the interim government of Rodríguez.
