The United States has doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50m
The 63-year-old has been the president of Venezuela since 2013 and was indicted in Manhattan federal court in 2020
The United States has doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50m. The Trump administration has accused him of being one of the largest narco- traffickers in the world.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes,” Pam Bondi, the attorney general, said on Thursday in a video announcing the reward.
The 63-year-old has been the president of Venezuela since 2013 and was indicted in Manhattan federal court in 2020, during the first Trump presidency, along with several close allies on federal charges of narcoterrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil termed the move as pathetic and labelled it as “political propaganda”. Maduro commenced his career as a trade union leader before being appointed as his successor by former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
The move comes after the United States struck a deal to secure the release of 10 Americans jailed in Caracas in exchange for Venezuela getting home several migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The prisoner spark had sparked huge controversy.
The US has accused Maduro of having direct links with crime syndicates Tren de Aragua, Cartel of the Suns and the notorious Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, which are involved in drug trafficking and other organised crimes.
According to Bondi, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had “seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, with nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself”.
Maduro has been accused of repressing opposition groups and rigging elections.
