Colombian-born Venezuelan businessman linked to Maduro, implicated in corruption and extradition cases
Alex Saab has pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering in Miami and will forfeit $195 million as part of a deal to cooperate with US investigations. The plea follows a long-running case tied to alleged bribes, shell companies, and the CLAP program in Venezuela.
The State Department has reprogrammed $52 million in foreign military financing from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has visited Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, signaling a pivot toward the Western Hemisphere amid concerns about narcotics, migration and China’s growing presence. The move follows earlier efforts to reduce European spending and troop deployments in NATO, aligning with a renewed Monroe Doctrine approach.
Alvaro Pulido Vargas has been arrested in a Homeland Security Task Force operation and will appear in federal court in South Florida. He faces money-laundering charges linked to Venezuelan government contracts and bribery schemes tied to CLAP food and medicine programs. The case also involves associates and a broader network moving funds through multiple countries. The investigation traces bribery, fake contracts, and illicit payments across the U.S., Antigua, the UAE, and beyond.