US doubles reward for information on Nicolas Maduro

2025-08-08 10:45:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The US has doubled the reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50m (£37.2m), accusing him of being "one of the world's biggest drug traffickers".

US President Donald Trump is an early critic of Maduro, who was returned to office in January after an election marred by allegations of vote rigging. The results were widely rejected by the international community.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the US would double its $25m (£18.6m) reward already announced and said Maduro was directly linked to drug smuggling operations.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the new award was "pathetic" and labeled it "political propaganda."

"We're not surprised by who this is coming from," Gil said, accusing Bond of trying to "distract attention" from the headlines surrounding the backlash over the handling of the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

During Trump's first term, the US government charged Maduro and other senior Venezuelan officials with a range of criminal offenses, including narcoterrorism, corruption and drug trafficking.

At the time, the US Department of Justice alleged that Maduro had collaborated with the Colombian rebel group Farc to "use cocaine as a weapon to 'flood' the United States."

In a video posted on X on Thursday, Bondi accused Maduro of coordinating with groups like Tren de Aragua — a Venezuelan gang that the Trump administration has declared a terrorist organization — and the Sinaloa Cartel, a powerful criminal network based in Mexico.

It claimed that the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had "seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, with nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself."

Maduro has previously rejected US allegations that he is directly involved in drug trafficking.

Bond's comments are an extension of long-standing tensions between the U.S. government and Venezuela - but the attorney general gave no further indication of how the government anticipated the renewed appeal and cash incentive would yield results.

Maduro - who is leader of the United Socialist Party and succeeded Hugo Chavez in 2013 - has been repeatedly accused of suppressing opposition groups and silencing dissent in Venezuela, including using violence.

He withstood protests after last year's disputed elections and has maintained his grip on power.

But in June, Hugo Carvajal - the former head of Venezuela's military intelligence - was convicted of several drug trafficking charges after being arrested in Madrid and put on trial in the US.

Carvajal had been a feared spy chief who was known as El Pollo, or the Chicken, but fled Venezuela after calling on the military to support an opposition candidate and overthrow Maduro.

He initially denied the drug charges but later changed his plea to guilty, fueling speculation that he had reached a deal with US authorities for a lighter sentence in exchange for incriminating information about Maduro.

The UK and EU announced sanctions against Maduro's government after his return to office earlier this year./ CNA, translated by BBC