The United States has doubled the reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million (€43 million), escalating its long-running campaign against the embattled leader.
The announcement, made jointly by the US Department of Justice and the State Department, was described by Attorney General Pam Bondi as a “historic” move. The previous bounty, set in January, stood at $25 million.
Bondi accused Maduro of being among the world’s largest narcotics traffickers, alleging that he collaborated with criminal organizations such as Tren de Aragua and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel to smuggle fentanyl-laced cocaine into the United States.
According to US authorities, 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates have been seized, including nearly seven tons allegedly tied directly to him. The Justice Department also claims to have confiscated more than $700 million in assets linked to Maduro, including two private jets.
Maduro, along with several high-ranking Venezuelan officials, was indicted during Donald Trump’s first term on charges of participating in a “narco-terrorism” conspiracy. Bondi said the leftist leader “remains a threat to our national security” and vowed that his “reign of terror” would not go unchallenged.
Venezuela’s Response
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil dismissed the bounty increase as “pathetic” and a “crude political propaganda operation.” Writing on Telegram, he called the move “the most ridiculous smokescreen ever seen” and said the “dignity of our homeland is not for sale.”
Gil accused Bondi of staging a “media circus” to appease Venezuela’s far-right opposition, adding that Caracas continues to “debunk terrorist plots” allegedly orchestrated from the United States.
