The Trump administration doubled the reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to $50 million. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the move on Thursday and described the South American leader as “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security,” in a statement on X.
The first Trump administration indicted Maduro in 2020 on narcoterrorism and other drug charges and pledged a $15 million bounty. The Biden administration later increased that to $25 million. Now, President Donald Trump has doubled it again to $50 million.
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More strategic than feasible
While it is unlikely the United States will be able to arrest Maduro, the move does restrict his ability to move freely around the world and puts additional pressure on his regime.
The U.S. has refused to recognize him as Venezuela’s legitimate president since 2019, citing a “deeply flawed” election in 2018 and evidence of widespread election fraud in 2024, which many in the international community also denounced as rigged.
Rubio’s statement
“Since 2020, Maduro has strangled democracy and grasped at power in Venezuela,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a press release.
“Maduro claimed to have won Venezuela’s July 28, 2024, presidential election but failed to present any evidence that he had prevailed. The United States has refused to recognize Maduro as the winner of 2024 election and does not recognize him as the President of Venezuela.”
Maduro accused of drug trafficking
According to the U.S. Departments of Justice and State, Maduro and members of his government are accused of working with international drug traffickers. U.S. officials stated that this involved transnational gangs such as Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa cartel and the Cartel of the Suns (Cartel de los Soles), which they utilized to smuggle cocaine into the United States.
Bondi said U.S. authorities have “seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates,” nearly seven tons of which is “directly linked to Maduro himself.”
Maduro has repeatedly denied the allegations. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil reacted to Bondi’s announcement on social media with a yawning emoji and called it a distraction from the White House’s domestic agenda.
Bipartisan actions against Maduro
The Trump administration imposed heavy sanctions against Venezuela, blocking its access to the U.S. financial system and suspending oil imports.
President Joe Biden later eased some of those sanctions in exchange for promises of free and fair elections in Venezuela — promises the U.S. says Maduro failed to keep.
