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Bondi offers $50 million for information leading to Nicolas Maduro’s arrest

By David Zimmermann August 7, 2025 | updated 11 hours ago

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday offered $50 million for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is accused of violating narcotics laws by aiding drug cartels and street gangs.

The Department of Justice and the State Department announced in a joint statement that they would double the Biden administration’s previous $25 million offer. The prior administration first offered a $15 million reward in 2020, when Maduro was hit with multiple drug-trafficking charges in New York federal court.

“Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like TdA [Tren de Aragua], Sinaloa, and Cartel of the Suns [Cartel de Soles] to bring deadly violence into our country,” Bondi said in a video. “He is one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.”

The attorney general mentioned the Drug Enforcement Administration has seized more than 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, and the DOJ has seized more than $700 million of the Venezuelan leader’s assets. She also noted that cocaine “is often laced with fentanyl,” which has led to countless American deaths.

“Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice, and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes,” she added.

The Trump administration also disputed Maduro’s 2024 election victory, saying it doesn’t recognize him as the South American country’s rightful leader.

“Since 2020, Maduro has strangled democracy and grasped at power in Venezuela,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. “Maduro claimed to have won Venezuela’s July 28, 2024, presidential election but failed to present any evidence that he had prevailed. The United States has refused to recognize Maduro as the winner of 2024 election and does not recognize him as the President of Venezuela.”

INTELLIGENCE MEMO DISPUTES TRUMP CLAIM THAT TREN DE ARAGUA IS COORDINATING WITH VENEZUELA

Under the Biden administration, the United States recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the president-elect of Venezuela months after the disputed election, saying he won the most votes. Critics of Maduro’s regime argued that the Venezuelan election was stolen due to widespread voter fraud.

Maduro faces several federal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S., possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to use and carry machine guns and destructive devices.

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