The United States government has escalated its long-running confrontation with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by doubling the reward for informat
The United States government has escalated its long-running confrontation with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by doubling the reward for information leading to his arrest to a record $50 million, accusing him of being “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.”
The announcement, made on Thursday, August 7, 2025, by US Attorney General Pam Bondi, raises the previous $25 million bounty set during Donald Trump’s first presidential term.
Pam Bondi alleged that Maduro has been directly involved in large-scale cocaine smuggling operations and has coordinated with transnational criminal organisations.
In her statement, Bondi linked the Venezuelan leader to the Tren de Aragua — a violent Venezuelan gang recently designated a terrorist group by the Trump administration — and the infamous Mexican Sinaloa Cartel.
She claimed that the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had seized 30 tonnes of cocaine tied to Maduro and his associates, including nearly seven tonnes allegedly linked to Maduro personally.
The Venezuelan government quickly dismissed the new US bounty.
Foreign Minister Yvan Gil called the move “pathetic” and “political propaganda,” accusing Washington of trying to distract from domestic controversies, including criticism over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Tensions between Washington and Caracas have been simmering for years. In 2020, the US Department of Justice charged Maduro and several high-ranking Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism, corruption, and drug trafficking.
Prosecutors alleged that Maduro collaborated with Colombia’s former rebel group, the FARC, to “flood the United States with cocaine.”
Maduro, who succeeded the late Hugo Chávez in 2013, has consistently denied the allegations.
His presidency has been marked by accusations of electoral fraud, political repression, and violent crackdowns on opposition groups.
He retained power earlier this year after a disputed election that was rejected by the US, UK, EU, and several Latin American nations.
The latest US action comes just weeks after Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal — Venezuela’s former military intelligence chief — was convicted in a US court on drug trafficking charges. Carvajal, once a close ally of Maduro, fled Venezuela in 2019 after calling for the military to back the opposition.
His guilty plea has sparked speculation that he may have provided incriminating evidence against Maduro in exchange for a lighter sentence.
In the wake of Maduro’s controversial re-election, both the UK and EU have maintained sanctions against his government.
While the US bounty significantly raises the stakes, it remains unclear whether the unprecedented $50 million offer will lead to any tangible breakthrough in efforts to bring the Venezuelan president to justice.
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