OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
6:04 PM – Thursday, August 7, 2025
On Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a $50 million reward for any information leading to the arrest of Socialist Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
“Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like [Tren de Aragua], Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a video posted on X.
According to Bondi, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has already seized over 30 tons of cocaine connected to Maduro and his network — including nearly seven tons directly tied to Maduro himself. This illicit trade, she said, serves as a critical revenue stream for powerful and deadly cartels operating out of Venezuela and Mexico.
Bondi further noted that cocaine linked to Maduro’s smuggling operations is “frequently laced with fentanyl,” contributing to the widespread devastation of American lives and communities.
In March 2020, Maduro, now 62, was indicted in the Southern District of New York on an array of federal charges, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons.
Following the indictment, the Trump administration during the GOP president’s first term initially offered a $15 million reward for Maduro’s capture — an offer now significantly increased as efforts to bring him to justice continue.
Then, the U.S. State Department under former Democrat President Joe Biden increased the reward to $25 million on January 10th — a figure that the Trump administration doubled on Thursday.
“The DOJ has seized over $700 million of Maduro linked assets, including two private jets, nine vehicles and more. Yet Maduro’s reign of terror continues,” Bondi said. “He is one of the largest narco traffickers in the world, and a threat to our national security,” she added.
Bondi has promised that “under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice, and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes.”
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