Venezuelan official Alex Saab, a Colombian-Venezuelan businessman and close ally of former President Nicolas Maduro, was deported to the United States, Venezuela's migration agency SAIME confirmed Saturday.
Saab was arrested in Caracas in February during a joint US-Venezuelan operation, according to a US law enforcement official. The arrest came one month after Maduro's own capture by US special forces in Caracas.
The deportation signals a new level of collaboration between US and Venezuelan law enforcement under acting President Delcy Rodriguez.
Saab, 54, was previously detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and held in the US on bribery charges. He was granted clemency in 2023 in exchange for the release of Americans detained in Venezuela.
Sources say Saab could provide US authorities with information to strengthen the criminal case against Maduro. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken to New York in January to face charges including conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism. They deny the allegations.