U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and State Department are offering a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.
The hunt for information on Maduro began during President Donald Trump’s first administration in 2020 when his DOJ announced their reward for information on Maduro. In a video press statement posted to Bondi’s X account, the attorney general announced the “historic” reward, which has risen from its original $15 million in 2020. (RELATED: Smartmatic Executive Accused Of Bribing Top Venezuelan Election Official)
“Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like TDA, Sinaloa, and Cartel of the Sons to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country. To date, the DEA has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates with nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself, which represents a primary source of income for the deadly cartels based in Venezuela and Mexico,” Bondi said.
“He is one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security. Therefore, we’ve doubled his reward to $50 million,” Bondi added. “Under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice, and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (C) waves to supporters next to his wife Cilia Flores (C-R) as he celebrates the results of the parliamentary and regional elections. (Photo by FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images)
In addition to the reward offered during Trump’s first administration, the DOJ at the time also announced indictments against Maduro and members of his inner circle for turning Venezuela into a “narco-terrorism” enterprise, according to CNBC.
The State Department said Maduro’s 2020 indictment from the Southern District of New York included charges of “narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.”
In January, the DOJ announced an increase in the information reward, raising it from $15 million to $25 million before the latest announcement.
Maduro’s country erupted into chaos in 2024 as mass protests broke out after he declared himself president in the 2024 presidential election. At the time of the July 2024 election, Maduro’s opposition claimed independent polling showed they had won 70% of the vote, beating Maduro.
“We won, and everyone knows it,” opposition leader Maria Corina told reporters in 2024, according to CNN. “The entire international community knows what happened in Venezuela and how people voted for change.”
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