John AdoyiThe United States has announced a record $50 million reward for information that could lead to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of leading a massive cocaine trafficking operation over two decades.
The offer was announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi in a video statement released Thursday.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“Today, the Department of Justice and State Department are announcing a historic $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro,” Bondi stated.
The bounty was initially set at $25 million in January.
According to Bondi, Maduro heads a trafficking network called The Cartel of the Suns, which allegedly shipped hundreds of tons of narcotics into the United States, earning hundreds of millions of dollars. Investigators say the cartel worked closely with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), designated a terrorist organisation by the U.S. government, as well as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.
Bondi said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had “seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, with nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself.”
She added that U.S. authorities had confiscated more than $700 million in assets tied to the Venezuelan leader, including two government aircraft, since September last year.
“Yet Maduro’s reign of terror continues,” Bondi said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes. He is one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.”
The U.S. has long accused Maduro of undermining democratic institutions, repressing opponents and committing human rights abuses. U.S. government has refused to recognise two presidential election victories claimed by him in May 2018 and July 2024, both widely condemned by Western governments as fraudulent.
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After the 2024 vote, the U.S. recognised opposition candidate Edmundo González as Venezuela’s legitimate president-elect.
The government in Venezuela has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil described the bounty as “pathetic” and “a crude political propaganda operation”, accusing Bondi of “cheap political theatre” and denouncing US interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs.
Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, remains backed by the country’s military and by allies such as Russia, China and Iran. Analysts say the unprecedented bounty may not lead to his capture in the short term, but it adds to the international pressure surrounding his government.
The US first placed a $15 million bounty on Maduro in 2020, raised it to $25 million in January 2025, and has now doubled it to $50 million, making it one of the highest rewards ever offered for a foreign leader.
