US doubles reward for arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to $50 million
US: US Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced that the US will offer a reward of $50 million for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. This amount was earlier $25 million, which has now been doubled. According to Bondi, Maduro is accused of working with the world’s largest drug smuggling network Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel. The US claims that Maduro and his close associates conspired to smuggle huge quantities of cocaine into the US.
This is not a new allegation. In 2020, during the Trump administration, Maduro was indicted in a Manhattan federal court on charges of “narcotics terrorism” and “cocaine importation.” At that time the reward was $15 million, which was first increased by the Biden administration to $25 million and now to $50 million. An example of such a large reward amount was previously seen for Osama bin Laden, when the US announced a reward of $25 million after the 9/11 attacks. For Maduro, this amount has now doubled, which shows the seriousness of the allegations.
Nicolás Maduro and his cronies think they’re untouchable. They’re wrong. We’re increasing our reward offer for Maduro to up to $50 million. https://t.co/mEomEgWLcT pic.twitter.com/ltq1cdMUji
— US Dept of State INL (@StateINL) August 8, 2025
Political background and election dispute
Maduro has long been a controversial figure in Venezuelan politics. The US, the European Union and many Latin American countries refused to recognize Maduro as the legitimate president, calling the 2024 election rigged. Instead, they recognized the opposition candidate as the legitimate president. Despite this, Maduro has maintained his grip on power. Critics say he weakened the opposition through control over government institutions, the military and the judiciary. The US Justice Department has seized more than $700 million in assets linked to Maduro, including private jets. Bondi claimed that the 7 million-ton cocaine consignment seized is directly linked to Maduro.
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
International response and possible impact
This announcement by the US is not just a criminal action but also a strategic political message. This move is considered an attempt to put pressure on Venezuela’s internal politics and strengthen the opposition. The European Union has already imposed economic and political sanctions on Venezuela. Many countries in Latin America are also against the Maduro government. On the other hand, countries like Russia, China and Iran support Maduro, due to which this issue has become a part of an international power balance. Political analysts believe that such a huge reward amount can cause a rift in Maduro’s close network, because any person can give information to America in the greed of so much money.