US Attorney General Pam Bondi labels Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as one of the world’s most significant narco-traffickers.
Maduro has been accused by the U.S. of being a foremost figure in the global narco-trafficking scene, collaborating with cartels to inundate the U.S. with fentanyl-laced cocaine.
In a social media release announcing the increased reward, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Maduro of partnering with Venezuelan crime groups Tren de Aragua, Cartel of the Suns, and Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa Cartel.
“He stands as a threat to our national security and, as such, we have doubled his reward to $50 million,” Bondi stated.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will face justice for his heinous crimes,” she affirmed, while encouraging the public to report any relevant information.
According to Bondi, the U.S. Department of Justice has already seized over $700m in assets linked to Maduro, including private jets and vehicles, and has traced tons of seized cocaine directly to the President.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil dismissed Bondi’s claims as a farce designed to deflect attention from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal in the U.S.
“Such antics come as no surprise, especially from those who previously boasted of a non-existent ‘secret list’ of Epstein associates,” the minister reported.
“This stunt is a mere distraction from their own affronts. Our nation’s dignity isn’t for sale; we reject such blatant political posturing,” Gil asserted.
Maduro was initially indicted in a U.S. federal court in 2020, during Trump’s first term, along with several close allies, on drug charges. The U.S. initially offered a $15m reward for his apprehension, later increased by the Biden administration to $25m – the same value set for Osama bin Laden.
In June, a former Venezuelan military intelligence director admitted to charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism in the U.S., days before his trial began.
Hugo Carvajal, who served in the government of the late President Hugo Chavez, confessed to narcoterrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons charges.
The U.S. prosecutors contended that Carvajal, along with other high-ranking Venezuelan officials, orchestrated a drug trafficking network aimed at saturating the U.S. with cocaine.
Carvajal, extradited from Spain to the U.S. in 2023 after a prolonged Justice Department pursuit, had switched allegiances to support the U.S.-backed Venezuelan opposition before his extradition.
Despite the U.S. rewards, Maduro remains in power following his re-election in 2024 in a vote widely criticized as fraudulent by Washington, the EU, and several Latin American countries.
Recently, the Trump administration secured the liberation of 10 Americans imprisoned in Caracas in exchange for Venezuela allowing the return of dozens of individuals deported by the U.S. to El Salvador amid a crackdown on immigration.
Following this, the White House also reversed its stance, permitting U.S. oil giant Chevron to restart drilling operations in Venezuela, previously hindered by U.S. sanctions.
