A Colombian drug trafficker, Alvaro Pulido Vargas, also known as German Enrique Rubio Salas, is under arrest in Florida. Accused of laundering hundreds of millions of dollars through the U.S., Pulido is linked to the Venezuelan regime under President Nicolás Maduro.
Federal Charges
Pulido will face charges in two federal cases and is due in court. The U.S. State Department and Drug Enforcement Administration had offered up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva remarked on the charges, stating, “Pulido is charged in two separate money laundering schemes, both using the U.S. financial system to hide profits gained through bribery.”
Prosecutors allege the schemes involved officials from Maduro’s government, currently under indictment for narcoterrorism and cocaine smuggling charges in New York.
Arrest and Legal Proceedings
It remains unclear how Pulido was taken into custody in the U.S. The announcement provides no details on his potential cooperation or legal representation. Pulido was convicted in 1997 in Italy for drug trafficking under his alias. He was indicted by the U.S. Justice Department in 2019 and 2021. His first federal court appearance is scheduled in Florida.
Background on Pulido
Pulido is a Colombian businessman accused of working with Alex Saab, a former ally of Maduro. Saab pled guilty to a related money-laundering charge and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. They reportedly used Venezuela’s government-run program, CLAP, to secure contracts valued at $1.6 billion.
The 2021 indictment claims they inflated costs, bribed officials, and transferred proceeds through international bank accounts, including in the U.S. Pulido is charged with one conspiracy count and four money laundering counts, each carrying a maximum potential sentence of 20 years.
The 2019 indictment also involves a separate conspiracy and seven money laundering counts, focusing on a currency-exchange scheme and a housing contract, allegedly moving $350 million through false documents and bribes.
Related Developments
Venezuelan authorities also arrested Pulido in connection with a corruption probe into the state oil company PDVSA.
Maduro’s Legal Challenges
Former President Maduro, facing a separate case in New York, along with his wife, Cilia Flores, faces charges including narcoterrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. On October 8, prosecutors added torture-related charges. Both deny the allegations.
Motions filed by their lawyers assert immunity as leaders of a foreign country. The couple’s next court appearance is set for November 17, with a trial scheduled for June 1, 2027.
Maduro and Flores have been in U.S. custody since being seized in Caracas and relocated to New York for prosecution.