The United States doubled their reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Madura to $ 50 million for charging drug trafficking and references to criminal groups, the US General Pam Bondi said on Thursday.
In a video published on X on Thursday, Bondi accused Madura of cooperation with significant criminal groups such as Tren de Aragua and Cartel Sinaloa.
“Pathetic” Bounty “… is the smallest smoke screen we’ve ever seen,” said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil in a statement of a telegram, clock after the US Prosecutor Pam Bondi announced an increase.
Why is Donald Trump after him?
The US originally set a reward for $ 15 million for Maduro in 2020, when the federal prosecutors were accused of drug trafficking and accused him of operating Narco-State. This accusation, issued at the Federal Court in Manhattan during Trump’s administration, also named several Madur’s close allies and included accusations of narcoterrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine.
Read also: US FULTS FRIENDS, enemies in the Global Drug War
In January 2025, when Maduro was sworn to the controversial third term, Biden Administration increased the reward to $ 25 million, corresponding to the fact that after attacks on Osama bin Laden corresponded to new sanctions and deposited new sanctions on higher Venezuelan officials.
The US Ministry of Justice accused Madura of the leadership of the main operation of cocaine trading known as the “Cartel of the Sun”, allegedly responsible for smuggling hundreds of tons of narcotics to the United States over the last two decades, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in unlawful profits.
According to investigators, Kartel worked closely with the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia (FARC), a group marked by the US as a terrorist organization. The US General Pam Bondi also said Maduro has links to Venezuel’s Gang Tren de Aragua and the Mexican Cartel Sinaloa.
Read also: Maduro controlled the “machinery of repression” against opponents, says the UN
Dea reportedly seized 30 tons of cocaine associated with Madur and his co -workers, with almost seven tons directly with him. In addition, the United States has confiscated assets of more than $ 700 million associated with Maduro since last September, including two aircraft belonging to the Venezuelan government.
“Maduro continues to reign,” Bondi said. “Under the leadership of President Trump, he will be brought to justice for his terrible crimes.”
Maduro, 62, a former bus driver and the head of the department, face a possible life sentence if he is convicted of the US court. He rejected the accusation as “false” and politically motivated.
Read also: The administration of Donald Trump plans to entertain the Venezuelan plane of President Nicolás Madura. Here’s the reason
In the related development, the Venezuelan former intelligence chief Hugo Armando Carvajal admitted in June to the guilt of American drug trafficking and fees for terrorism Narco. According to Miami Herald, Carvajal offered to supply US authorities with documents and testimonies implies Maduro.
Last month, Trump Administration mediated an agreement to ensure the release of 10 Americans trapped in Caracas. In return, Venezuela agreed to take back dozens of his nationals who were deported to Salvador as part of an aggressive policy to enforce Trump’s immigration.
Soon after the prisoner of the White House, the White House moved its attitude towards the Venezuelan oil sector and gave us the energy giant Chevron permission to restore drilling operations in the country and turned previous sanctions that excluded such activities.
Oil factor
At the end of July, Reuters reported that Washington is preparing to issue new authorities for key partners of the state oil company Venezuel, PDVSA, starting with the American oil giant Chevron to restore operations in a sanctioned country.
This step would be a shift from an earlier pressure -based strategy that led to the abolition of oil licenses in March.
Venezuela, an OPEC member, has maintained oil production for approximately 1 million barrels a day in recent years, most of which have been focused on independent refinery in China. While the US also announced a secondary tariff at the beginning of this year aimed at the buyer of Venezuelan oil, it was not actively enforced.
Also read: We are ready to order more companies to stop working in Venezuela
If new licenses are approved according to conditions that allow PDVSA partners to deal with public procurement, carry out contracts and carry out oil imports and exports through swap agreements, Venezuela can gain access to a fundamental stream of income.
The US Foreign Ministry said the decree on the sale of Venezuelan oil would not benefit the Madur’s government.
However, the enforcement of this restriction remains uncertain, especially because PDVSA historically required the payment of license fees and taxes before allowing oil costs, even those belonging to its business partners.
Washington has imposed a number of economic sanctions on Madur’s government. Since the US energy sanctions were first stored in 2019, Venezuela has noticed and canceled licenses in accordance with the transfer of US diplomatic strategies.
Also read: Oil profits when optimism of business conversation balances the potential of higher Venezuelan supplies
The US government did not recognize Maduro, who first took office in 2013, as a duly elected President Venezuela since the Foreign Ministry called “a deeply erroneous presidential election in 2018”.
“In July 28, 2024, the Venezuelan presidential election, Maduro fraudulently declared himself the winner despite the evidence of the opposite,” the Foreign Ministry said in an earlier remuneration in January.
“The United States has joined many other countries and refused to recognize Madura as a legitimate winner of the presidential election of July 2024.”
In February, the US Foreign Ministry formally determined the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization together with MS-13 and several Mexican cartels. In July, Cartel de Los Soles also described as a global terrorist organization.
(With the entry from agencies)
(Tagstotranslate) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
