US Doubles Bounty on Venezuela’s Maduro to $50 Million, Accusing Him of Major Role in Global Drug Trade

The Trump administration has raised the reward for the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, accusing him of being one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers and working with cartels to ship fentanyl-laced cocaine into the United States.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday in a video announcing the increase.

Maduro was indicted in Manhattan federal court in 2020, during Trump’s first term, on narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking conspiracy charges, along with several close allies. The initial $15 million bounty was later doubled by the Biden administration to $25 million — matching the US offer for Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Despite years of sanctions and international condemnation — including rejection of his 2024 reelection as illegitimate by the US, EU, and several Latin American governments — Maduro has remained in power.

The latest move comes weeks after the Trump administration secured the release of 10 jailed Americans from Caracas in a prisoner swap that sent scores of Venezuelan migrants, deported under US immigration rules, to El Salvador. Soon after, Washington eased restrictions on US oil giant Chevron, allowing it to resume drilling in Venezuela despite earlier sanctions.

Bondi said US authorities have seized more than $700 million in Maduro-linked assets, including two private jets, and traced seven million tons of seized cocaine directly to the Venezuelan leader. Maduro’s office has not commented on the latest reward offer.