AP News Reports : The Trump administration has announced a doubling of the reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, accusing him of being one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers and collaborating with cartels to inundate the U.S. with fentanyl-laced cocaine.
Attorney General Pam Bondi stated in a video on Thursday, “Under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice, and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes.”
Maduro was indicted in Manhattan federal court in 2020, during Trump’s first presidency, along with several close allies, on charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. Initially, the U.S. offered a $15 million reward for his capture, which was later raised by the Biden administration to $25 million—the same amount previously offered for Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks.
Despite the significant bounty, Maduro remains in power, having defied the U.S., the European Union, and several Latin American nations, which condemned his 2024 reelection as fraudulent and recognized his opponent as Venezuela’s legitimate president.
Last month, the Trump administration successfully negotiated the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in Caracas in exchange for the repatriation of scores of migrants deported by the U.S. to El Salvador. Shortly thereafter, the White House allowed U.S. oil producer Chevron to resume drilling in Venezuela, which had previously been blocked by sanctions.
Bondi highlighted that the Justice Department has seized over $700 million in assets linked to Maduro, including two private jets, and claimed that 7 million tons of seized cocaine had been traced directly to him.
Maduro’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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