El Aissami & López: ICE ‘Captured’ Status Explained – Fact Check 2026

ICE Maintains ‘Captured’ Designation for Former Venezuelan Officials, Despite Maduro Arrest

The official website of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lists Tareck El Aissami and his financial operator Samark José López as “captured,” but this designation is not new and does not reflect recent developments following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on January 3rd.

According to the fact-checking portal Cazadores de Fake News on February 21st, while both profiles display the “captured” label, this does not prove they have been detained in the United States, nor that they have been extradited to the country, as claimed on social media.

In fact, the categorization has been present for at least since September and October of 2025. A user on X noted the same label on September 29th, 2025, and records from the internet archive website Wayback Machine from October 9th, 2025, confirm that both El Aissami’s and López’s profiles already showed the same condition on that date.

ICE Maintains Designations Due to Narcotics Trafficking

ICE reminds on El Aissami’s profile that in February 2017, he was designated a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker (SDNT) by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Department of the Treasury.

According to the agency, the former Minister of Petroleum facilitated shipments of narcotics, oversaw shipments exceeding 1,000 kilograms, and used high-ranking positions to participate in international drug trafficking.

The United States also offered a reward of $5 million for the capture of Samark López, whom the Treasury considers a front man for El Aissami.

Pressure from Washington

The renewed public attention to their “captured” status coincides with new pressure from Washington on the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez, following Maduro’s arrest.

According to the Spanish newspaper ABC, the U.S. Administration is demanding permission to investigate nine high-ranking officials, including Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, Walter Jacob Gavidia Flores, Alex Saab, and Raúl Gorrín, in addition to El Aissami and López Bello, to advance the dismantling of corruption networks.

El Aissami’s fall from grace began in March 2023, when he resigned following the scandal known as PDVSA-Cripto, which involved an estimated embezzlement of more than $21 billion through the irregular sale of crude oil and the use of crypto assets.

Since then, he has remained out of the public eye until, according to prosecutor Tarek William Saab, he was arrested on April 9th, 2024, along with Simón Zerpa and Samark López, accused of treason, embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, and criminal association.

Independent verification and historical records demonstrate that the “captured” label on ICE is not linked to events in 2026 or the power shift following Maduro’s downfall. It is a mark visible on the profiles for at least a year and a half, which does not confirm arrest on U.S. Soil or new judicial operations.