The United States has doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, citing long-standing allegations of drug trafficking and collaboration with international criminal organizations.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi made the announcement on Thursday in a video posted to X, accusing Maduro of working with notorious groups including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.
The move marks the third increase in the bounty since US prosecutors first charged Maduro with drug trafficking in 2020, when the reward stood at $15 million. It was raised to $25 million in January 2025 as Maduro began his third term, coinciding with fresh sanctions on senior Venezuelan officials.
Bondi’s remarks follow a series of US actions targeting Venezuelan criminal networks. In February, the State Department designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, alongside MS-13 and multiple Mexican cartels. In July, it added Cartel de Los Soles to its global terrorist list. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged that Maduro has led Cartel de Los Soles for more than a decade, overseeing the trafficking of drugs into the United States.
The Venezuelan government swiftly rejected the allegations. Foreign Minister Yván Gil, posting on Telegram, dismissed the US announcement as “the most ridiculous smokescreen ever seen.”
“While we’re debunking the terrorist plots orchestrated from her country, this woman is coming out with a media circus to please the defeated far-right in Venezuela,” Gil wrote, referring to Bondi. “The dignity of our homeland is not for sale. We repudiate this crude political propaganda operation.”
The Venezuelan information ministry has not yet responded to requests for further comment.
Melissa Enoch
Follow us on:
