Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Venezuelan Maduro ally Saab cooperated with DEA before arrest, court document shows

Venezuelan Maduro ally Saab cooperated with DEA before arrest, court document shows

Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, cooperated with U.S. authorities for nearly a year starting in 2018 by forfeiting funds and serving as a confidential source, according to a U.S. court filing unsealed on Wednesday.
Saab agreed to be an "active law enforcement source" for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and later confessed to paying bribes to Venezuelan officials, U.S. prosecutors said in the filing. In 2019, they told him he would face criminal charges if he did not voluntarily surrender, according to the filing.

A lawyer for Saab, David Rivkin, said in a statement that Saab only met with U.S. law enforcement officials to explain that his companies had done nothing wrong, adding that Venezuela was fully aware of his engagement with those officials.

The news could be an embarrassment to Maduro's government, which has championed Saab as a special envoy who helped Venezuela's government conduct business deals under the radar of U.S. sanctions meant to force the ruling Socialist Party from power.

Saab was indicted in 2019 and arrested in 2020 while he was refueling his plane in the West African island nation of Cape Verde, which last year approved his extradition to the United States - a move Maduro's government described as a kidnapping.

U.S. prosecutors say Saab, a Colombia-born businessman, siphoned around $350 million out of Venezuela via the United States as part of a scheme that involved bribing Venezuelan government officials for fake import documents to secure dollar payments at a favorable exchange rate.

Saab has pleaded not guilty to the charge against him.

"The DEA and government counsel specifically advised (Saab) in April and May 2019 that his failure to surrender to U.S. authorities would result in him being charged in the Southern District of Florida," reads the filing, originally submitted on Feb. 23, 2021.

Venezuela's information ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Prosecutors had asked that the filing remain sealed, arguing that Saab's family could face harm if the information were made available to Maduro's government. Judge Robert Scola on Wednesday ordered that the filing be unsealed.

Rivkin, Saab's attorney, said in the statement that the release of the filing "is no more than an attempt to harm the interests of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

"Alex Saab remains a loyal citizen and diplomat of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and will never do anything to harm the interests of the country and people that have given him so much," Rivkin wrote.

Maduro's allies have characterized Washington's pursuit of Saab as part of an "economic war" on Venezuela being waged by the U.S. government. They say Saab had been granted Venezuelan citizenship and had been named a diplomat to negotiate aid and fuel shipments from Iran.

A 2016 Reuters investigation found that Saab was also the head of a tiny Colombian trucking company that unexpectedly beat global industry leaders to land a multi-billion dollar project in Venezuela's Orinoco Belt, the world's largest crude reserve.

That deal was ultimately shelved after outcry from foreign oil companies.

The U.S. government in 2020 indicted Maduro, along with a dozen other top Venezuelan officials on charges of "narco-terrorism," offering a $15 million for information leading to his capture. The U.S. said Maduro and his associates colluded with the demobilized Colombian guerrilla group, the FARC, "to flood the United States with cocaine."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Saudi Arabia Faces Uncertainty Over Succession After Mohammed bin Salman
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
×