Maduro has previously refuted US accusations that he would have direct involvement with drug trafficking
The United States doubled the reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro to $ 50 million, accusing him of being “one of the world’s largest drug traffickers.”
US President Donald Trump is a longtime Maduro critic – who returned to office in January following an election marked by accusations of electoral fraud and persecution of the opposition.
The results of the Venezuelan election were widely rejected by the international community.
Despite hostilities and differences, there are those who see a recent and pragmatic approach between US and Venezuela, for example with a prisoners’ exchange in July.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said her country would double reward already announced of $ 25 million and that Maduro would be directly linked to drug trafficking operations.
Venezuela Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the new $ 50 million offer is “pathetic” and part of a “political propaganda.”
“We are not surprised from those who come,” Gil said, accusing Bondi of seeking a “desperate distraction” to cover up criticism of his performance in the investigations into sexual aggressor Jeffrey Epstein.
In Trump’s first term, the US government accused Maduro and other Venezuelan authorities from a series of crimes, including narcoterrorism, corruption and drug trafficking.
At the time, the US Department of Justice claimed that Maduro had worked with the Colombian rebel group to “use cocaine as a weapon to” flood “the United States.”
In a video published on Social Network X on Thursday (07/08), Bondi accused Maduro of working with groups such as Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that the Trump government has declared to be a terrorist organization; and the Sinaloa cartel, a powerful criminal network of Mexico.
Bondi said the US Anti -Drug Agency (DEA) had “seized 30 tons of Cocaine linked to Maduro and its members, with almost seven tons linked to Maduro itself.”
The Venezuelan President, who succeeded Hugo Chavez in 2013 and is the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), had already refuted US accusations that he would have direct involvement with drug trafficking.
In June, Hugo Carvajal, a former chief of the Military Intelligence of Venezuela, was convicted of several drug trafficking accusations after being arrested in Madrid and tried in the US.
Carvajal was a dreaded spy that was serving the nickname El Pollo (“the chicken”), but fled from Venezuela after asking the army to support Juan Guaidó, the opposition candidate, and overthrow Maduro.
Initially, Carvajal denied the accusations of drug trafficking, but later changed his statement of guilt, feeding speculation that he would have closed an agreement with the US authorities to obtain a lower penalty in exchange for incriminating information about Maduro.
The United Kingdom and the European Union announced sanctions against the Maduro government after their return to power earlier this year.
Originally published by BBC News on 08/08/2025
For Sean Seddon
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/08/09/eua-oferecem-recompensa-de-us-50-milhoes-por-pistas-que-levem-a-prisao-de-nicolas-maduro/
