Washington Increases Reward for Arresting Maduro to 50 Million Dollars

SadaNews - The United States doubled, on Thursday, the reward it had set earlier this year for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is wanted by the U.S. federal judiciary on charges of "drug trafficking," bringing the total reward to 50 million dollars.

Caracas condemned Washington's decision to raise the financial reward for the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro to 50 million dollars, considering this decision "pathetic" and "ridiculous."

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil wrote in a statement, "This 'reward' is more pathetic (...) is the most ridiculous smoke screen we've ever seen."

Justice Minister Pam Bondi announced in a post on the social media platform X, "Today, the Departments of Justice and State announce a 50 million dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of Nicolas Maduro," noting that the value of the reward was 25 million dollars in January.

On January 10, ten days before President Donald Trump's inauguration, the administration of former Democratic President Joe Biden denounced the "fake" and "illegitimate" nature of Maduro's inauguration, which had taken place six months prior and whose elections Washington refused to recognize as legitimate.

At that time, the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury imposed new sanctions on Caracas and raised the reward for Maduro's arrest from 15 million dollars to 25 million dollars.

The financial reward is offered for information that helps the United States arrest the Venezuelan president and prosecute him on charges of "drugs and corruption."

The allegations, which include participation and complicity in "international drug trafficking," date back to 2020 at the end of Trump's first term.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the federal prosecutor's office in New York accuse Maduro of being behind a cartel believed to have sent hundreds of tons of drugs to the United States over two decades, worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

On Thursday evening, the U.S. Justice Minister confirmed that U.S. authorities suspect this cartel collaborates with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which Washington considers "terrorist."

The minister also accused the Venezuelan president of cooperating with the Venezuelan gang "Train of Aragua" and the Mexican gang "Sinaloa."