Alvaro Pulido was indicted in federal court in Miami in 2019 and again in 2021 during an investigation into his longtime business associate, Alex Saab, a former ally of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and State Department had offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Pulido’s arrest.
Pulido’s detention followed an investigation involving the DEA, FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, Nicole Navas Oxman, a spokesperson for the Homeland Security Task Force, said Sunday.
Oxman did not disclose how Pulido came into U.S. custody. She said, however, that he is scheduled to make his initial court appearance in Miami on Tuesday.
Venezuelan authorities have not publicly commented on the arrest. The silence underscores the difficult political position facing acting President Delcy Rodríguez as she seeks to placate members of the ruling coalition who oppose efforts by the Trump administration to pursue Venezuelan insiders wanted in the United States, in some cases for years, on serious charges including corruption and drug trafficking.
Pulido, who was born in Colombia, was arrested in Venezuela in 2023 as part of a sweeping corruption investigation at the state-run oil company PDVSA. Rodríguez led that crackdown while serving as Maduro’s vice president. She became Venezuela’s acting president after U.S. forces ousted Maduro in January.
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AP Photo/Jesus Vargas, File
U.S. prosecutors allege that Pulido and Saab built a network of offshore shell companies to route bribe payments to senior Maduro allies. In return, the pair allegedly secured government contracts to import food, medicine and affordable housing during a period of severe hardship across Venezuela.
Saab, who is also from Colombia, was deported to the United States by Rodríguez in May. He pleaded guilty last month in a related bribery case and agreed to cooperate with U.S. investigators pursuing Maduro and others. As part of the agreement, Saab will forfeit $195 million in criminal proceeds linked to the corruption scheme.
