By By Micheal Chukwuebuka
THE United States doubled its reward for information leading to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, escalating its pressure on the embattled leader who faces federal drug trafficking charges. Caracas denounced the move as “pathetic” and “ridiculous.”
Washington, which does not recognize Maduro’s last two election victories, accuses him of running a vast cocaine trafficking network. “Maduro is one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a video posted on social media.
Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil rejected the announcement, saying on Telegram: “The dignity of our homeland is not for sale. We reject this crude political propaganda operation.”
The Justice Department first charged Maduro in 2020, during Donald Trump’s presidency, alleging he led a criminal organization known as “The Cartel of the Suns.”
U.S. President Donald Trump
Prosecutors say the group shipped hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States over two decades, reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.
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