US now offering $25 million for Nicolás Maduro’ arrest or conviction

The U.S. State Department has raised the reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan president charged with narco-terrorism, from $15 million to $25 million.

The updated offer, announced on January 8, 2025, underscores renewed efforts to bring Nicolás Maduro to justice amid ongoing accusations of corruption and drug trafficking at the highest levels of Venezuela’s government. Maduro has led Venezuela since 2013, following Hugo Chávez’s death, but his presidency has been fraught with controversy. The United States has not recognized Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader since 2019, citing significant electoral irregularities. Most recently, Maduro claimed victory in the highly contested July 2024 presidential election, which international observers and the U.S. government denounced as fraudulent.

Maduro is accused of managing the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking network involving high-ranking officials. Federal charges against him, filed in March 2020 in New York, include narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of machine guns. Investigators allege Maduro worked with Colombia’s FARC rebel group to facilitate multi-ton cocaine shipments and establish a militia-like force to protect cartel operations.