By JOSHUA GOODMAN and ERIC TUCKER | Associated Press
MIAMI — The Biden administration has released a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a swap for jailed Americans, The Associated Press has learned.
Alex Saab, who was arrested on a U.S. warrant for money laundering in 2020, was released from custody Wednesday. In exchange, Maduro will free some, if not all, of the roughly dozen U.S. citizens who remain imprisoned in Venezuela, according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The White House declined to comment.
On Friday and again on Monday, two docket entries were filed under seal in the long-dormant criminal case out of federal court in Miami, an indication that a behind-the-scenes deal was in the works.
The deal between Washington and Caracas represents the U.S. government’s latest bid to improve relations and bring back imprisoned Americans. The move, likely to be the largest release of American prisoners since an October 2022 deal that freed seven, comes just weeks after the U.S. agreed to temporarily suspend some sanctions after Maduro’s socialist government and a faction of its opposition formally resolved to work together on a series of basic conditions for the next presidential election
The U.S. has long accused Saab of being a bag man for Maduro. Saab’s release would be seen as a major concession to Maduro, the South American country’s authoritarian leader who is himself the target of a $15 million U.S. reward for anyone bringing him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
The deal is also likely to anger the Venezuelan opposition, who have of late criticized the White House for standing by as the leader of the OPEC nation has repeatedly outmaneuvered the U.S. government after the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign failed to topple him.
In October, the White House eased sanctions on Venezuela’s oil…
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