US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday announced that the United States has increased its reward to $50 million for any information leading to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, citing allegations of drug trafficking and ties to criminal organisations.
In a video posted to X, Bondi accused Maduro of collaborating with prominent criminal groups such as Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Today, @TheJusticeDept and @StateDept are announcing a $50 MILLION REWARD for information leading to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. pic.twitter.com/D8LNqjS9yk
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) August 7, 2025
“Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like TdA, Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country,” Bondi said.
‘Dignity Of Our Homeland Not For Sale’
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on Telegram that the announcement was “the most ridiculous smokescreen ever seen”.
“While we’re debunking the terrorist plots orchestrated from her country, this woman is coming out with a media circus to please the defeated far-right in Venezuela,” Gil said.
“The dignity of our homeland is not for sale. We repudiate this crude political propaganda operation,” he added.
The Venezuelan information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
2X Jump
The reward was first set at $15 million in 2020, when US prosecutors charged Maduro with drug trafficking. It was increased to $25 million in January 2025, as Maduro was sworn in for a third term, alongside new sanctions on top officials.
In February, the US State Department formally designated the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organisation, alongside MS-13 and several Mexican cartels. In July, it also designated Cartel de Los Soles as a global terrorist organisation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement late on Thursday that Maduro has been a leader of Cartel de los Soles for over a decade, which is responsible for trafficking drugs into the United States.
“Since 2020, Maduro has strangled democracy and grasped at power in Venezuela. 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 recognise Maduro as the winner of 2024 election and does not recognise him as the President of Venezuela,” Rubio’s statement read.
(With inputs from Reuters)
