DOJ Opens New Criminal Probe Targeting Maduro in Miami
Federal prosecutors in Miami have been ordered to open a new criminal investigation targeting detained former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, multiple sources told CBS News, signaling a significant strategic shift in the U.S. effort to hold the former president accountable. The probe was initiated amid concerns that the existing prosecution against Maduro in New York — which charges him with narco-terrorism and firearms offenses — may be insufficient, particularly lacking money-laundering charges.
Context: A Case Under Scrutiny
Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured by U.S. forces on Venezuelan soil on January 3, 2026, in an operation codenamed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” and transported to New York City to face a superseding indictment dating to 2020. Both have pleaded not guilty. The existing charges include narcoterrorism, cocaine importation, possession of machine guns, and conspiracy to possess machine guns. The indictment alleges Maduro provided diplomatic passports to drug traffickers and facilitated diplomatic cover for planes used by money launderers.
However, analysts and experts who previously spoke with CBS News noted that much of the cocaine entering the United States comes from Colombia, not Venezuela, raising doubts about the strength of the New York case. One source told CBS News that Justice Department and White House officials have privately expressed concern about the lack of any money-laundering charges in the pending indictment.
The New Miami Probe
The new investigation was formally opened around March 2026, according to sources. Michael Berger, a respected Miami-based prosecutor who specializes in international criminal cases, was assigned to oversee the effort, along with agents from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and IRS Criminal Investigation. That same month, prosecutors and agents convened a meeting to discuss open investigations involving Maduro or Alex Saab.
The Miami probe focuses on financial crimes, including money laundering tied to Venezuela’s CLAP food subsidy program and oil-related corruption — areas prosecutors believe may be more provable than the existing narco-trafficking charges.
The Alex Saab Factor
The new probe comes as Alex Saab, Maduro’s close business associate and former Minister of Industry and National Production, was deported to the U.S. and indicted for money laundering conspiracy. According to the Department of Justice, Saab allegedly used American banks to launder hundreds of millions of dollars stolen from the CLAP food program, a Venezuelan public welfare initiative meant to provide staples to poor Venezuelans during hyperinflation.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a DOJ press release: “Thanks to the efforts of the Homeland Security Task Force, Alex Saab will be prosecuted and held fully accountable under U.S. law for his alleged role in this scheme.”
Saab’s history is complex. He served two years in U.S. prison on money-laundering charges after extradition from Cape Verde, but President Joe Biden pardoned him in 2023 as part of a prisoner swap with Maduro’s government. He was subsequently deported by Venezuela’s acting government in May 2026. As NBC News reported, Saab secretly met with the Drug Enforcement Administration before his first arrest and forfeited more than $12 million in illegal proceeds, raising the possibility he could serve as a key witness against Maduro.
Shifting Political Landscape in Venezuela
The probe unfolds against a dramatically transformed political landscape. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in after Maduro’s capture, has distanced herself from the former leader’s inner circle. She fired Saab from her Cabinet and oversaw his deportation to the U.S. Rodríguez has also purged Maduro allies while pursuing closer ties with Washington, including opening Venezuela’s oil industry to U.S. investment.
According to Wikipedia, the U.S. has secured a 50-million-barrel oil supply deal with Venezuela, and sales of Venezuelan oil have already reached over $1 billion since Maduro’s capture. The Trump administration lifted sanctions on Venezuelan oil trade in exchange for access to the country’s vast reserves amid surging global prices tied to the Iran war.
However, Rodríguez faces pressure from hardliners like Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who wields significant influence inside Venezuelan security forces and faces criminal charges himself in the U.S. As Fox News reported, Cabello expressed support for Saab’s deportation, saying he had obtained his Venezuelan national ID through illegal means.
Analysis: Strengthening the Prosecution
The new Miami probe represents a strategic recalculation by the Justice Department. Adding money-laundering charges would address a perceived weakness in the current case and could make conviction more likely. The investigation leverages Miami’s expertise in international financial crimes and the cooperation of Saab, who has a track record of assisting U.S. authorities.
As Deutsche Welle noted, Saab’s extradition could deepen divisions inside Rodríguez’s fragile ruling coalition in Caracas, as hardliners view the cooperation with U.S. prosecutors as a betrayal of the former president.
What’s Next
Several key questions remain unanswered. What specific charges might the new Miami probe produce? Will Saab cooperate and testify against Maduro? How will the Venezuelan government respond to the new investigation? And could the probe complicate the delicate diplomatic normalization between Washington and Caracas?
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the new investigation. An attorney for Maduro also declined to comment. The former Venezuelan leader remains in U.S. custody awaiting trial in New York, while prosecutors in Miami build what they hope will be a more robust case centered on financial crimes rather than drug trafficking.