In brief
The United States has detained 62‑year‑old Colombian Alvaro Pulido, pending federal indictments that allege he funneled more than $2 billion from Venezuelan government contracts into offshore accounts. Pulido, once jailed in Venezuela for diverting oil‑company profits, is linked to bribery rings that supplied food and medicine to the poor while overcharging the state. Prosecutors accuse him of collaborating with former Venezuelan minister Alex Saab on a separate $350 million laundering scheme tied to the country’s currency exchange system. The arrest follows a high‑profile DEA reward offering and reflects Washington’s ongoing crackdown on corruption in Latin America.
Alvaro Pulido, 62, was seized Sunday during a Homeland Security Task Force operation in the United States. Prosecutors say he faces federal indictments that link him to a sprawling money‑laundering operation involving more than $2 billion allegedly siphoned from Venezuelan welfare and oil contracts.
Pulido is already in Venezuelan custody since March 2023 for diverting profits from PDVSA, the state‑run oil company. The DEA and State Department offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest, a move that has now materialised after a “closed‑door” operation.
According to the Justice Department, Pulido and four co‑defendants bribed Venezuelan officials to secure contracts for supplying food and medicine. They were accused of overcharging the government and laundering profits through accounts in the United States and abroad.
The case potentially links Pulido to Alex Saab, a former Venezuelan industry minister who recently pleaded guilty to money‑laundering charges in a U.S. court. Prosecutors allege the two co‑operated to move $350 million from a separate bribery scheme tied to the country’s currency‑exchange system, using banks in Florida.
Pulido is to appear before a federal court on Tuesday, while lawyers and experts weigh the implications for U.S. foreign‑policy and anti‑corruption enforcement in the region.
