AG announces $50 million reward for Venezuelan President

Attorney General Pam Bondi declared a $50 million reward for information leading to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday.

The Justice Department and State Department disclosed the reward, which has been increased from $25 million. The United States has accused Maduro of supporting drug cartels and criminal organizations, as well as running a corrupt and oppressive government.

“Maduro collaborates with foreign terrorist groups like TdA (Tren de Aragua), Sinaloa, and Cartel of the Suns (Cartel de Soles) to introduce deadly violence into our country,” Bondi stated in a video message. “He is one of the biggest drug traffickers globally and poses a threat to our national security.”

Cartel of the Suns is a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization composed of high-ranking Venezuelan officials. In March 2020, Maduro was indicted in federal court on charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

As of now, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has confiscated 30 tons of cocaine connected to Maduro and his associates, according to Bondi. These drugs serve as a major source of revenue for Mexican and Venezuelan cartels, she explained.

Bondi highlighted that cocaine is frequently mixed with fentanyl, leading to the loss of thousands of American lives. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has consistently criticized Maduro, claiming that he is not the legitimate leader of the South American nation after a contested election victory in 2024.

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday announced a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. (Getty Images)

“Maduro is the head of the designated narco-terrorist group Cartel de Los Soles, and he is responsible for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe,” Rubio added. “Maduro, who has been indicted by our country, has corrupted Venezuela’s institutions to aid the cartel’s criminal drug-trafficking operations into the United States.”

In January, the State Department offered a $25 million reward for Muduro’s capture.

The department claimed that Muduro participated in a violent narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Additionally, Maduro negotiated the shipment of multiple tons of FARC-produced cocaine, directed the Cartel of the Suns to supply military-grade weapons to the FARC, collaborated with drug traffickers in Honduras and other nations to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking, and sought assistance from FARC leaders in training an unsanctioned militia group that essentially served as an armed forces unit for the Cartel of the Suns.

In addition to the charges against him, the Justice Department has seized more than $700 million in assets linked to Maduro, including two private jets and nine vehicles, as per Bondi.