Alvaro Pulido Taken Into US Custody in Venezuela Bribery Case

Alvaro Pulido, a 62-year-old Colombian-born businessman indicted twice in Miami federal court, was taken into U.S. custody over allegations he bribed senior Venezuelan officials to secure state contracts, American officials said Sunday, according to the Associated Press account carried by The Guardian. He is scheduled for an initial court appearance Tuesday in Miami.

How did Pulido end up in US custody?

Officials said the DEA, FBI and Homeland Security Investigations led the probe that resulted in Pulido's transfer to American custody, but it remains unclear how the move happened, the Associated Press reported. Pulido was previously arrested inside Venezuela in 2023, part of a separate domestic action there, before Sunday's development put him in U.S. hands.

What is Pulido accused of doing?

Federal prosecutors in Miami indicted Pulido in 2019 and again in 2021 as part of a wider investigation into his longtime business partner, Alex Saab, a onetime ally of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a social media post Sunday that Pulido's "alleged actions show a blatant disregard to the Venezuelan people by corrupting government programs intended to provide critical food, medicine, and housing for personal enrichment and exploiting the American financial system to do it."

What does the $10 million reward reveal about the case?

The DEA and the State Department had jointly offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Pulido's arrest, a figure that signals the priority U.S. agencies placed on the case over roughly five years between his first indictment and Sunday's custody transfer. Blanche added that "no amount of time or distance" would stop the Justice Department "from working with our federal law enforcement and international partners to pursue these criminals and bring them to justice in an American courtroom."

Why does the Alex Saab case matter here?

Pulido's prosecution is tied directly to Saab, whose dealings with Maduro-era officials have been a central thread in U.S. corruption cases against Venezuelan insiders. The pairing of the two men in federal filings underscores how Washington has used one network's business records to build parallel cases against associates.

Data points

• $10 million — maximum reward the DEA and State Department offered for information leading to Pulido's arrest.
• 2019 and 2021 — years Pulido was indicted in Miami federal court.
• 62 — Pulido's age, per U.S. officials cited by the Associated Press.
• 2023 — year Pulido was first arrested inside Venezuela, before Sunday's U.S. custody transfer.

What happens next

• Pulido's initial appearance in Miami federal court is set for Tuesday.
• Venezuelan authorities have so far made no public statement on the arrest, the Associated Press noted.
• Acting President Delcy Rodríguez faces pressure from factions in the ruling coalition resistant to Trump administration efforts to round up Venezuelan insiders wanted on corruption and drug-trafficking charges.
• Continued DOJ activity tied to the Saab network could signal further arrests or extraditions in the case.

For broader context on U.S.-Venezuela friction this fall, see HTT's related coverage on energy-sector diplomacy pressure points in the region.

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