Let me tell you a little secret about **political power dynamics**. Power does not have friends. It only has assets it uses until they are fully depreciated. Then, it throws them in the trash. We are seeing this happen right now in **Venezuela**, and it is the funniest, saddest thing you will read all week. Breaking news confirms that the government run by **Nicolás Maduro** is detaining and questioning two of his formerly untouchable inner circle members: **Raúl Gorrín** and **Alex Saab**.

If you don’t know these names, don't worry. Most normal people don't spend their time tracking the **money laundering** operations of dictatorships. But these guys were important. They were the wallets. They were the fixers. They were the guys who made sure the capital flowed so the **Maduro regime** could keep the lights on. For a long time, being friends with Maduro made them untouchable. They probably felt like kings. They had the money, the cars, and the protection of the state. They probably thought they ran the world.

But here is the punchline. The **United States government** has wanted these guys for a long time. The US has looked at them and seen crimes, corruption, and sanctions evasion. For years, Maduro stood in front of cameras and screamed that the US was an evil empire. He said he would never bow down. He treated **Alex Saab** like a national hero. He made posters for the guy. He told the people of Venezuela that protecting Saab was the same as protecting their country.

Well, guess what? That was all a lie. It was just noise. Now, reports say that Venezuela is detaining these guys. Why? Because **US-Venezuela relations** are shifting. That is the reality. The US wants something, and Maduro wants something. And suddenly, these "heroes" and "loyal friends" are just bargaining chips. They are being traded like baseball cards. It turns out that fighting the "evil empire" stops being important when you need to cut a deal.

Look at the American side of this mess. It is just as gross. For years, we heard our politicians talk about freedom and democracy. They told us Maduro was a bad guy who had to go. They put **sanctions on Venezuela** to punish the guys at the top. They told us they had high morals. They told us they would never accept a dictatorship.

But look at them now. They are cooperating. They are making deals. The moment it becomes convenient for Washington to play nice with Caracas, all that talk about freedom goes out the window. They don't actually care about justice. They care about getting what they want. If that means shaking hands with the guy they spent ten years calling a monster, they will do it. They will smile while they do it, too.

This is why I hate politics. It is all fake. The Right screams about socialism until they need oil or a political win. The Left screams about imperialism until their favorite leader starts acting like a thug. Both sides are playing a game, and none of them care about the truth. They only care about power.

Think about what is going through the minds of **Gorrín and Saab** right now. They spent years doing the dirty work. They took the risks. They surely thought their loyalty bought them safety. They thought they were part of the club. Now they are sitting in a room being questioned by the very people they helped. They are realizing that they were never partners. They were just tools. And a hammer does not get a seat at the dinner table. A hammer goes back in the box—or in the garbage—when the job is done.

It is a lesson for everyone. Do not trust these people. Do not trust the politicians who say they are fighting for your soul. Do not trust the rich guys who say they are disrupting the system. They are all the same. They will use you to get what they want, and the second you become a problem, they will sell you out.

Maduro is selling out his friends to make the US happy. The US is working with a guy they hate to get what they want. It is a circle of backstabbing. And who loses? The regular people. The people who believed the speeches. The people who thought there were good guys and bad guys. There are no good guys here. There are just wolves eating other wolves.

So, spare me the tears for these businessmen. They knew what they signed up for. But don't you dare think the people making the arrest—or the people in Washington cheering for it—are any better. They are just the ones currently holding the leash. And sooner or later, someone will come for them, too. That is the only fair thing about this whole rotten game.

***

### References & Fact-Check * **Original Event**: The Venezuelan government has reportedly detained allies of President Nicolás Maduro, specifically targeting businessmen Alex Saab and Raúl Gorrín, who have long been sought by U.S. authorities. * **Source**: *The New York Times* - [Venezuela Said to Detain Maduro Allies Targeted by the U.S.](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/world/americas/venezuela-said-to-detain-maduro-allies-targeted-by-the-us.html) * **Context**: This move indicates a potential shift in diplomatic relations and cooperation between Caracas and Washington.