Maduro's Powerful Aide Alex Saab Allegedly Detained By FBI In Caracas

Last Updated:February 05, 2026, 20:55 IST

Alex Saab and Raúl Gorrín were reportedly detained in Caracas by Sebin and the FBI, following US-Venezuela collaboration, amid ongoing controversy and conflicting statements.

A powerful associate of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Alex Saab, has reportedly been detained during a joint operation by Venezuela’s intelligence agency and the FBI.

Saab was removed from his rank a fortnight after the US forces captured Maduro on January 3.

According to a report by The Guardian, the 54-year-old was reportedly detained by members of the Bolivarian national intelligence service (Sebin) at a luxury home in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Besides him, Raúl Gorrín, a billionaire media mogul who owns the Globovisión TV channel, was also reportedly detained at the same address.

Also Read: ‘Seeing Mafia Maduro Decapitated Brings Relief To Venezuelans’: Caracas Ex-Mayor | Exclusive

Though there has been no official confirmation of the arrests from the Venezuelan government, The Guardian quoted a US official saying that Saab had been detained as a result of collaboration between US and Venezuelan authorities. The official said they expected Saab to be extradited to the US in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Saab’s lawyer has rejected the claims and called them as “fake news". He told Colombia’s El Espectador newspaper that Saab was “doing fine in Caracas".

However, The Guardian quoted intelligence sources telling the Colombian radio station Caracol that Saab, who had served as minister for industry and national production under Maduro, was taken into custody at about 2am and was being held at the intelligence service’s detention centre.

In 2019, Saab was indicted in the US for reportedly being part of a corruption racket in which about $350 million of government money was transferred from Venezuela into accounts he owned or controlled.

The next year, he was arrested after reaching Cape Verde while flying to Iran. He was extradited to the US in 2021 on charge of money laundering. In December 2023, he was released as part of a prisoner swap deal with the Biden administration.

In 2024, Saab was appointed as a minister by Maduro and stripped of on January 16 by Maduro’s former number two, the country’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez.

News world Maduro's Powerful Aide Alex Saab Allegedly Detained By FBI In Caracas

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