By Dayo Ade Olusola|M10News| US Nwws | August 8, 2025
The Trump administration has announced a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of using powerful drug cartels to traffic cocaine and fentanyl into the United States.
Attorney General Pam Bondi alleged that Maduro works with criminal organisations including Tren de Aragua, Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, and Venezuela’s Cartel of the Suns to smuggle narcotics across borders.
Speaking in a video posted on X, Ms Bondi said the US Drug Enforcement Administration had seized 30 tonnes of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, including nearly seven tonnes allegedly tied directly to him. She described the trafficking operation as a “primary source of income” for the cartels.
Bondi also claimed that much of the cocaine involved was laced with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the US each year. She said the drug smuggling “has resulted in the loss and destruction of countless American lives.”
Maduro, 62, has faced US federal charges since March 2020 in the Southern District of New York, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and related conspiracy counts.
At the time of his indictment, the Trump administration offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest. That figure was later increased to $25 million by the State Department under President Joe Biden in January this year.
The latest announcement, made on Thursday, doubles the bounty to $50 million.
According to Bondi, the US Department of Justice has seized more than $700 million in assets linked to Maduro, including two private jets and nine vehicles.
“Maduro is one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world, and a threat to our national security,” she said, adding: “Under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice, and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes.”
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