The Trump administration has increased the reward for capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, accusing him of being one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers. US officials allege Maduro worked with cartels to smuggle fentanyl-laced cocaine into the United States.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the decision in a video message on Thursday. “Under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes,” she said.
Longstanding US Charges Against Maduro
In 2020, during Trump’s first term, federal prosecutors in Manhattan indicted Maduro and several allies on charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. At that time, the US offered $15 million for his arrest. The Biden administration later raised it to $25 million — the same amount offered for Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks.
Despite international pressure, including condemnation from the US, the European Union, and several Latin American governments, Maduro has stayed in power. Many of these governments rejected his 2024 re-election as fraudulent and recognized his opponent as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
Recent US–Venezuela Dealings
Last month, the Trump administration reached an agreement with Caracas to free 10 jailed Americans in exchange for the return of scores of migrants from the US to El Salvador under Trump’s immigration policies.
Soon after, the White House eased sanctions by allowing US oil company Chevron to resume drilling in Venezuela, reversing an earlier ban.
Assets Seized and Cocaine Linked to Maduro
Bondi said the Justice Department had seized more than $700 million in assets tied to Maduro, including two private jets. She also claimed that 7 million tons of seized cocaine were directly linked to the Venezuelan leader.
Venezuela Dismisses US Accusations
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil called the new bounty “pathetic” and accused Bondi of running a “crude political propaganda operation.”
“We’re not surprised, coming from whom it comes from. The same one who promised a nonexistent ‘secret list’ of Epstein and who wallows in scandals for political favors,” Gil said. He was referring to criticism Bondi faced after the Justice Department revealed last month that no such “client list” from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein exists. “Her show is a joke, a desperate distraction from her own misery,” he added.
