If confirmed, the capture would highlight tensions between loyalists of chavismo who protect assets and factions willing to collaborate with the United States to gain legitimacy. Photography: Composition AlbertoNews
Guacamaya, February 4, 2026. Conflicting versions surround the legal situation in Venezuela of Alex Saab, a Colombian‑Venezuelan businessman and close ally of former president Nicolás Maduro. In the absence of official confirmation from Venezuelan institutions, international media report his capture in a joint operation by Venezuelan and U.S. authorities, while his lawyer categorically denies it.
Caracol Radio was the first source to report Saab’s capture as part of a joint operation between agents of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin) and officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The arrest allegedly took place around 2:30 AM in the Cerro Verde neighborhood, southeast of Caracas, along with businessman Raúl Gorrín, owner of Globovisión. Both Saab and Gorrín were reportedly taken to the Helicoide headquarters, according to Caracol Radio.
Reuters also confirmed the existence of a joint operation after consulting a U.S. law enforcement official, noting that a possible extradition of Saab to the United States is expected in the coming days.
Saab had previously been detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and held in the United States for more than three years on bribery charges, before receiving clemency in exchange for the release of U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela in 2023. Gorrín, meanwhile, had been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for allegedly paying multimillion‑dollar bribes to Venezuelan officials.
However, according to Colombia’s El Espectador, Saab’s lawyer Luigi Giuliano denied his client’s arrest. Giuliano stated that Saab is free and “calm in Caracas,” and that he planned to meet with him again that afternoon. He labeled the reports of the businessman’s detention as “fake news.”
On Wednesday afternoon, journalists aligned with the Venezuelan government also denied via social media that Saab had been arrested, after the first reports of his detention emerged. So far, neither the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez nor official sources have issued statements, fueling speculation about internal tensions or diplomatic maneuvers.
After his return to Venezuela, Saab assumed roles in the economic area of the Executive, first in imports and exports and later as Minister of Industry and National Production, from which he was removed in early January during a cabinet reshuffle led by acting president Delcy Rodríguez, following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.
Saab was one of chavismo’s main financial operators during the years of greatest international sanctions and, before his first detention, was known for his role in importing food for the state CLAP program. His wife, Italian Camilla Fabri, has continued participating in public activities linked to the “Plan Vuelta a la Patria.”
Gorrín, for his part, has faced charges in the U.S. since 2018 for money laundering and bribery: he allegedly paid US$159 million to Venezuelan officials to access preferential dollars, laundered through banks in the Dominican Republic and properties in Florida. According to Transparencia Venezuela, he owns a network of at least 29 companies in Venezuela, the U.S., Panama, and the Caribbean, used for financial triangulation.
The duality of information about Alex Saab’s detention reflects opacity and highlights internal struggles in post‑January 3, 2026 Venezuela, when Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces, opening a new political dynamic under Delcy Rodríguez. The arrest would confirm the prioritization of justice over impunity, weakening chavismo’s cohesion.
