Detained in Venezuela amid confusing circumstances, Alex Saab (Barranquilla, 54 years old) is being faced with the possibility of extradition to the United States, where he was previously imprisoned on charges of money laundering.
It accuses the captured Venezuelan leader of running a state-sponsored drug terror network for years. Maduro, it says, collaborated with the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua, which now operates throughout Latin America, as well as with the Colombian FARC guerrilla group and the Mexican Sinaloa cartel, to smuggle cocaine into the US and enrich himself personally. The indictment described Venezuela as being systematically developed into a hub for international cocaine trafficking, with state aircraft and even the presidential hangar being used to transport cocaine.
Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro arrived in New York after being captured in a large-scale US military strike in action condemned by Iran, Russia, and other allies of the South American country but which received backing from Venezuelans living in exile. Video broadcast by US networks showed a plane arriving on January 3 at Stewart International Airport some 100 kilometers northwest of New York City, accompanied by US security personnel.
