Alex Saab, Maduro’s Long‑Time ‘Bag‑Man,’ Set to Plead Guilty in U.S. Money‑Laundering Case

On Tuesday a courtroom in Miami will hear Alex Saab, the 54‑year‑old Colombian entrepreneur who has been dubbed Nicolás Maduro’s “bag‑man,” change his plea. The exact wording of the plea hasn’t been released yet, and his lawyer, Neil Schuster, declined to comment.

Saab’s legal trouble dates back to a 2019 indictment that accused him of running a shell‑company scheme, falsifying shipping documents and skimming money from Venezuelan government contracts that were meant to bring cheap food to a population starved by hyperinflation. The case resurfaced after he was deported from Venezuela in May, an act ordered by acting President Delcy Rodríguez under pressure from the United States.

It’s a tangled web. The businessman first entered the U.S. spotlight when he was arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 – a stop the Venezuelan government called a “high‑level humanitarian mission to Iran.” A year later, President Joe Biden granted him a narrow pardon in exchange for the release of several Americans held in Venezuela, a move that Republicans slammed and federal agents immediately followed up on with fresh investigations.

U.S. officials have long called Saab the “bag‑man” for Maduro, implying he funneled cash and contracts to keep the regime afloat. Prosecutors say he and co‑conspirators built a maze of front companies to bribe officials who controlled the CLAP food‑distribution program, siphoning billions of dollars meant for staples like rice and cooking oil.

Meanwhile, the political backdrop is shifting again. The Trump administration, now back in the White House, is pushing a massive oil partnership with Venezuelan entrepreneur Alejandro Betancourt, touting it as the “biggest oil deal in world history.” The deal promises U.S. access to Venezuela’s vast reserves, a stark contrast to the Biden era’s focus on sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

Rodríguez, once a staunch defender of Saab, has distanced herself after Maduro’s capture, stripping him of his role as the primary conduit for foreign investment. Still, Saab’s fortunes grew enormously thanks to state contracts, especially as sanctions forced Venezuela to operate outside the usual Western banking system.

If the plea holds, Saab could face a reduced sentence, but the case also opens the door for investigators to use his testimony against Maduro, who is already facing a separate drug‑trafficking trial in Manhattan.

All eyes will be on the Miami courtroom, not just for the legal outcome, but for what it could mean for the future of U.S.–Venezuela relations and the endless scramble over oil, sanctions, and humanitarian aid.