Alex Saab, close to Maduro, allegedly detained in Venezuela after FBI‑backed raid

Alex Saab reportedly detained in Caracas operation

A close and influential ally of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Alex Saab, has reportedly been detained in a joint operation by Venezuela’s intelligence agency and the FBI, according to multiple news reports.

Saab was removed from his government post about two weeks after US forces captured Maduro on January 3. Early on Wednesday, the 54‑year‑old was said to have been apprehended by members of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin) at a luxury residence in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

Also reportedly detained at the same address was billionaire media mogul Raúl Gorrín, owner of the Globovisión TV channel.

There has been no official confirmation from the Venezuelan government, but a US official told Reuters that Saab had been detained as part of cooperation between US and Venezuelan authorities and was expected to be extradited to the US in the coming days.

Saab’s lawyer dismissed the reports, calling them “fake news” and telling Colombia’s El Espectador newspaper that Saab was “doing fine in Caracas”.

The Guardian also cited intelligence sources saying Saab, who served as minister for industry and national production under Maduro, was taken into custody at about 2 a.m. and held at Sebin’s detention centre.

In 2019, Saab was indicted in the United States for allegedly participating in a corruption scheme in which roughly $350 million in government funds were transferred from Venezuela into accounts he controlled.

He was arrested in 2020 while flying to Iran and was later extradited to the US in 2021 on a money‑laundering charge. In December 2023, he was released as part of a prisoner swap with the Biden administration.

After returning to Venezuela in 2024, Saab was appointed minister by Maduro before being stripped of his position on January 16 by the country’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez.