FBI dismantles laundering network linked to Nicolás Maduro's family: ‘Choking off every dollar, every account, every enabler’

The FBI announced Saturday the dismantling of a money laundering network linked to the sons of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, indicted for drug trafficking in the United States. According to the federal agency, the scheme operated across multiple countries and involved transfers of sanctioned funds to bank accounts in United States, with the objective of hiding money originating from the Venezuelan regime.

According to the indictment, the suspects—identified as Arick Komarczyk and Irazmar Carbajal—were charged in Florida on Sept. 25 with money laundering and conspiracy to make unlicensed wire transfers. The case has been under investigation since 2019, when the FBI's Miami office detected that Komarczyk had allegedly opened bank accounts for Maduro's children and associates in U.S. territory, attempting to violate Treasury Department sanctions against the regime.

An undercover operation in 2022 revealed that both agreed to move $100,000 in sanctioned funds, of which at least $25,000 entered into the country.

FBI Director Kash Patel described the operation as part of a broader offensive against the illicit finances of the Venezuelan dictator and his entourage.

"Maduro isn’t just corrupt - he’s an indicted narcoterrorist dictator with a $50M DOJ bounty," Patel said. "Under my leadership, the FBI is choking off every dollar, every account, every enabler. America will never be a safe haven for his blood money."

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino also weighed in on the matter and highlighted the global reach of the ongoing actions, "We are tearing apart the international drug trade infecting our communities, piece by piece, tendril by tendril."

In addition, Donald Trump Jr., who is becoming an active spokesman on security and foreign policy for the administration, reacted to the announcement with a message on the X network: "Another 80/20 issue (more like 99-1) that Democrats will find a way to oppose."

In recent months, the president's son has been a harsh critic of the Maduro regime and has publicly backed aggressive actions to combat it.

The case announced by the FBI comes amid an escalation of pressure from Washington on the Venezuelan regime. The Trump administration has been maintaining for weeks an unprecedented anti-narcotics campaign in the Caribbean Sea, including naval operations, the sinking of several narco-boats and the designation of Cartel de Los Soles and Tren de Aragua as terrorist organizations, both criminal groups linked to Maduro and his military and political entourage.

A week ago, senior U.S. officials even confirmed to NBC News that the Pentagon is evaluating drone strikes against laboratories and drug trafficking leaders in Venezuelan territory, as part of a strategy aimed at striking at the criminal networks that economically sustain the regime. Such an attack would take the pressure on Maduro, a historical enemy of the U.S., to the next level.

According to the FBI, Komarczyk remains at large in Venezuela, while Carbajal was arrested on Oct. 2 during a deportation flight that made a stopover in U.S. territory. American authorities reiterated that the United States "will never be a safe haven for international corruption and money laundering, particularly for those countries which pose significant risks to our national interests."