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Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, pleaded guilty in a US court to laundering bribe and fraud proceeds connected to Venezuela's welfare programme, a case tied to broader US-Venezuela tensions. The plea comes amid a wider recalibration of Washington's approach to Caracas following Maduro's removal. In a related development, the United States removed Venezuela from its list of major drug transit and production countries, with President Trump citing progress against narcotics trafficking since Maduro's ouster. Trump indicated Colombia and Bolivia could also be removed from the list, signaling a broader shift in US counter-narcotics policy toward the region.