🇻🇪 US Doubles Bounty on Maduro to $50M, Calls Him “One of the World’s Biggest Narco-Traffickers”

 

Washington escalates its pursuit of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of running a vast cocaine trafficking network in collaboration with armed groups, while Caracas calls the move a calculated distraction.

Zig Diaries World News
Date: Friday, 8 August 2025
Time: 08:00 WAT
Location: 📍  Lagos, Nigeria

The U.S. government has doubled its reward for information leading to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, raising fresh tensions in Washington-Caracas relations.

The United States on Thursday increased its bounty on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from $25 million to a record $50 million, intensifying a long-running legal and political battle between Washington and Caracas.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a video statement shared on social media, accused the Venezuelan leader of being “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.”

“Today, the Department of Justice and State Department are announcing a historic $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro,” Bondi said, alleging the Venezuelan head of state operates a cocaine trafficking syndicate with international reach.

Washington claims Maduro leads “The Cartel of the Suns” — an organisation that allegedly shipped hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States over two decades, working alongside Colombia’s rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Venezuela’s own Tren de Aragua gang.

Bondi said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has linked Maduro to nearly seven tons of seized cocaine, alongside $700 million in confiscated assets, including two Venezuelan government aircraft since September last year.

Caracas reacted sharply. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil dismissed the bounty as “the most ridiculous smokescreen we have ever seen,” insisting that “the dignity of our homeland is not for sale.”

“In the July 28, 2024, Venezuelan presidential election, Maduro fraudulently declared himself the victor despite evidence to the contrary,” the U.S. State Department said in its January announcement of the previous bounty. Washington, alongside several countries, has refused to recognise him as the legitimate leader.

The latest escalation comes amid already strained ties, with the U.S. maintaining sweeping economic sanctions on Venezuela and refusing to recognise Maduro’s government since a disputed 2018 vote.

In a separate development on Thursday, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello claimed security forces had foiled a bomb attack in a Caracas commercial district, accusing the U.S. and domestic opposition of being behind the plot — a charge Washington denies.

If tried and convicted in the U.S., the 62-year-old Maduro could face life imprisonment. 

🏷️Tags: Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, U.S. Justice Department, Drug Trafficking, International Relations
#Venezuela #Maduro #USPolitics #DrugTrafficking #WorldAffairs