White House: Venezuela has freed 2 detained Americans

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. (AP file photo)

• The move follows a secret weekend visit to Venezuela by senior Biden administration officials

CARACAS: The White House says two American detainees have been released by the Venezuelan government.
Gustavo Cardenas is an oil executive who had been jailed alongside colleagues since 2017. Jorge Fernandez was arrested last year on what the White House described as “spurious charges.”
The move follows a secret weekend visit to Venezuela by senior Biden administration officials, including the top White House official on Latin America and the State Department’s top hostage negotiator.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday that “there were a range of topics discussed during that trip, including the health and welfare of detained US citizens.”