Alex Saab, a key figure in Venezuelan power and close to President Nicolás Maduro before he was captured by the United States last January, was expelled to the United States on Saturday, May 16. He was responsible for importing products for the subsidized food sales program, which was accused of being corrupt.
Alex Saab, a key figure in Venezuelan power under Nicolás Maduro, was expelled to the United States on Saturday, May 16, five months after the capture of the ousted president by the American army, announced by Venezuelan authorities in a statement.
“Venezuela reports the expulsion of the Colombian citizen Alex Naim Saab Moran on this 16th of May, 2026. The expulsion measure was adopted taking into account the fact that said Colombian citizen is involved in various crimes in the United States of America, as it is public, well-known and widely reported by the media,” according to the statement from Venezuelan immigration authorities (Saime).
Responsible for a vast import network under Maduro
Alex Saab had built close ties with the Venezuelan government during the final years of Hugo Chávez’s mandate (1999-2013) and had come to manage a vast import network for Nicolás Maduro’s government. He was considered a key intermediary in power as the country tried to adapt to international sanctions.
He was specifically in charge of importing products for the subsidized food sales program known as Clap, which was tainted by corruption allegations.
The extradition of a Venezuelan citizen in the legal sense is prohibited by the Constitution, but the immigration authority considered Alex Saab to be Colombian and proceeded with an “expulsion” to the United States where he was wanted.
First extradition to the United States in 2021
Alex Saab had been arrested during a stopover in Cape Verde in 2020 and was extradited in 2021 to the United States, where he was accused of embezzlement of food aid and money laundering in favor of Nicolás Maduro.
He was exchanged in December 2023 for ten Americans imprisoned in Venezuela. This release, which Nicolás Maduro, captured on January 3 by the American army, had described as a “triumph.” Alex Saab had been welcomed with great fanfare upon his return, and was then appointed as a minister.
Excluded from the government since Maduro’s capture
At the beginning of February, media reports had mentioned the FBI’s request for the arrest of Alex Saab, while a source close to the government had only mentioned that he was “in his house,” without further details.
Delcy Rodriguez, former Vice President of Nicolás Maduro, took over the reins of power after his capture and excluded Alex Saab from the government, also removing his Italian wife Camila Fabri from her positions. She also removed several close associates of Nicolás Maduro from the power circles.
Under pressure from Washington, she made various changes, including adopting an amnesty law to release political prisoners and reforming the oil sector to open it to private investment.
