Alex Saab, close ally of Maduro, expelled to US from Venezuela

Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuelan power under Nicolas Maduro, was expelled to the United States on Saturday, Venezuelan authorities announced in a statement, five months after the capture of the ousted president by the US military.

“Venezuela informs of the expulsion of Colombian citizen Alex Naim Saab Moran, carried out on May 16, 2026. The expulsion measure was adopted considering the fact that this Colombian citizen is involved in various crimes in the United States, as this is public, well-known, and widely reported by the media,” according to the statement from Venezuelan immigration authorities (Saime).

Alex Saab had drawn close to the Venezuelan government during the final years of Hugo Chavez’s mandate (1999-2013) and had come to manage a vast network of imports for Nicolas Maduro’s government. He was considered a key intermediary of power as the country sought to navigate international sanctions.

He was particularly responsible for importing products intended for the subsidized food sales program known as Clap, which has been tainted by corruption accusations.

The extradition of a Venezuelan citizen in the legal sense is prohibited by the Constitution, but the immigration authority considered Mr. Saab to be Colombian and proceeded with an “expulsion” to the US where he was wanted.

Mr. Saab had been detained during a layover in Cape Verde in 2020 and extradited to the United States in 2021, where he was accused of embezzlement of food aid and money laundering in support of Mr. Maduro.

He was exchanged in December 2023 for ten Americans imprisoned in Venezuela, a deal that Mr. Maduro, captured on January 3 by the US military, had then hailed as a “triumph.”

Mr. Saab was welcomed with great fanfare upon his return and was subsequently appointed minister.

In early February, media reports mentioned the FBI’s arrest request for Alex Saab, while a close source to power had only stated he was “at his home,” without divulging further details.

Delcy Rodriguez, former vice-president of Nicolas Maduro, took over the reins of power after his capture and removed Saab from the government, also dismissing his Italian wife Camila Fabri from her positions.

She also ousted several of Maduro’s close associates from the power circles.

Under pressure from Washington, she made numerous changes, including passing an amnesty law to release political prisoners and reforming the oil sector to open it to private industry.