Venezuelan authority decides to deport Maduro’s ally Alex Saab to the US

Venezuelan authorities announced in a statement on Saturday that they had deported former Venezuelan Industry Minister Alex Saab, a close associate of ousted President Nicolas Maduro, to the United States for the second time, where he is wanted.

A statement issued by the Venezuelan Immigration Department read, “Venezuela announces the deportation of Colombian citizen Alex Naim Saab Moran, on May 16, 2026,” adding, “The deportation order was issued due to the involvement of the aforementioned Colombian citizen in various crimes in the United States, a matter that is well known and widely covered by the media”.

Alex Saab’s relationship with the Venezuelan government was strengthened during the final years of Hugo Chavez’s presidency (1999-2013), before he took over the management of a large-scale import network for the government of Nicolas Maduro, and was considered a key intermediary for the government in its efforts to adapt to international sanctions.

Saab was specifically responsible for importing goods for a subsidized food program that has been plagued by corruption allegations.

Saab was first arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 on charges of money laundering and corruption, and was extradited to the United States the following year, but was later released in 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange with Venezuela.

Maduro appointed Saab to his government the following year, but shortly after the United States arrested the Venezuelan president in Caracas last January, acting president Delcy Rodriguez dismissed him from all his posts.

The Venezuelan constitution prohibits the extradition of any citizen to another country, but immigration authorities deemed Colombia difficult and proceeded to deport him to the United States, where he was wanted.