U.S. prosecutors are reportedly pursuing a second criminal investigation into former Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro, raising the possibility that the ousted Venezuelan leader could face additional charges beyond the drug trafficking and narcoterrorism case already pending in New York.
The new probe is being run by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami and has examined possible money laundering allegations, Reuters reported, citing a Justice Department official and another source familiar with the matter. The investigation has been active for months and was underway when President Donald Trump ordered the January U.S. military raid that captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to the report.
Maduro, 63, has already pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court, where he faces narcoterrorism conspiracy and other charges tied to alleged drug trafficking. He is being held in a Brooklyn jail while awaiting trial. According to the report, he Miami investigation could give the Justice Department a legal fallback if the New York case runs into complications.
The development comes as federal prosecutors in Miami also move against Alex Saab, the Colombian-born businessman long described by U.S. officials as Maduro's "bagman." Saab was charged Monday with money laundering after being deported to the United States by Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a move Reuters described as a sign of new coordination between Washington and Caracas.
Prosecutors allege Saab used fake companies, shipping records, and invoices to divert hundreds of millions of dollars from Venezuelan food programs beginning in 2015. They also allege that starting in 2019, Saab and others used access to the Venezuelan government to sell billions of dollars in oil under false pretenses, with proceeds moving through U.S. bank accounts.
The Saab case could become central to any broader prosecution strategy against Maduro. Reuters reported that Saab could provide U.S. authorities with information to strengthen their case against the former Venezuelan leader. AP also reported that Saab previously met secretly with the DEA and helped agents untangle corruption in Maduro's inner circle while forfeiting more than $12 million in illicit proceeds.
For Washington, the Miami probe could open a second front against Maduro, one focused less on alleged drug trafficking and more on the financial architecture that allegedly helped sustain his government. For Caracas, it is another sign that cooperation with U.S. prosecutors may now be part of Delcy Rodríguez's effort to consolidate power after Maduro's capture.
The Justice Department has not publicly announced new charges against Maduro in Miami, and Reuters noted it is not clear whether the Florida investigation will result in an indictment. But the timing is significant. Saab is back in U.S. custody, prosecutors are digging into money flows, and Maduro's legal future is no longer limited to the Manhattan case.
