Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The Justice Department and State Department revealed the reward increase from $25 million. The United States accuses Maduro of supporting drug cartels and street gangs while running a corrupt and oppressive regime.
“Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like TdA (Tren de Aragua), Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns (Cartel de Soles) to bring deadly violence to our country,” Bondi stated in a video message. “He is one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.”
Cartel of the Suns is a Venezuelan drug-trafficking network made up of high-ranking government officials. In March 2020, Maduro was federally indicted on charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy related to those weapons.
According to Bondi, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates. These drugs serve as a significant source of income for cartels based in Mexico and Venezuela.
Bondi also pointed out that cocaine is frequently mixed with fentanyl, contributing to thousands of deaths in the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly condemned Maduro, stating he is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela following the controversial 2024 election.
“One year since dictator Nicolás Maduro defied the will of the Venezuelan people by baselessly declaring himself the winner, the United States remains firm in its unwavering support to Venezuela’s restoration of democratic order and justice,” Rubio said last month. “Maduro is not the President of Venezuela and his regime is not the legitimate government.”
“Maduro is the leader of the designated narco-terrorist organization Cartel de Los Soles, and he is responsible for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe,” Rubio added. “Maduro, currently indicted by our nation, has corrupted Venezuela’s institutions to assist the cartel’s criminal narco-trafficking scheme into the United States.”
In January, the State Department initially announced a $25 million reward for Maduro’s arrest.
The department stated that Maduro was involved in a violent narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Maduro allegedly negotiated large shipments of FARC-produced cocaine; directed the Cartel of the Suns to supply military-grade weapons to FARC; worked with traffickers in Honduras and other nations to facilitate extensive drug trafficking; and sought FARC assistance to train an unsanctioned militia acting as a military force for the cartel.
In addition to the charges, the Justice Department has seized over $700 million in assets tied to Maduro, including two private jets and nine vehicles, Bondi reported.
