Maduro Under Fire: Drug Trafficking Accusations and Double Bounty

Nationwide Drug Policing

Posted by AI on 2025-08-25 11:41:45 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-29 12:37:37

Share: Facebook | Twitter | Whatsapp | Linkedin Visits: 0

---

India-US trade deal could conclude by Sep- Oct: Commerce Secretary

Trump administration has announced a significant increase in the bounty it is offering for the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro, who has been President since 2013 and reportedly worked with drug cartels to send large amounts of cocaine mixed with fentanyl into the US, faces accusations of being one of the world's most significant drug traffickers.

The US had initially put a bounty of $15 million on Maduro in 2020 when they first made these accusations. This was increased to $25 million in January 2025 when he began his third term as President.

Maduro has denied the allegations. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil described the increased bounty as a "pathetic" and "ridiculous" smokescreen and a political stunt.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his circle, with almost seven tons of seized cocaine traced directly to him.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also released a video accusing Maduro of collaborating with the Tren de Aragua Venezuelan terrorist group and the Sinaloa Cartel. She also stated that US officials had seized more than $700 million worth of assets linked to Maduro, including two private planes.

This comes after Venezuela's former military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal, who was once a close ally of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges in June.

Carvajal, known as "El Pollo," was accused of helping run a drug-smuggling network involving top Venezuelan military officials and providing weapons to the Colombian rebel group FARC in exchange for protecting cocaine shipments through Venezuela.

He cooperated with authorities after denying the charges for two years.

Trump Administration has made it harder for Maduro to maintain his grip on power, with the increased bounty likely to add to the political pressure on him.

Go!