Credit: Wikipedia Commons /  Nicholas Maduro,  President of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

By Gary Raynaldo       DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The U.S. State Department announced  it is offering rewards up  to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of Venezuela President  Nicolás Maduro for alleged involvement in narcotics trafficking. The Justice Department Thursday unsealed criminal charges against Maduro and other high ranking members of his government in connection with alleged narco-terrorism and drug smuggling into the United States.

“Today the U. S. Department of State announced a series of rewards for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Venezuelan nationals for whom the Department of Justice unsealed indictments today for their roles in international narcotics trafficking: Nicolás Maduro Moros, Diosdado Cabello Rondón, Hugo Carvajal Barrios, Clíver Alcalá Cordones, and Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah.”

-Michael R. Pompeo,  U.S. Secretary  Of State

The State Department is also offering rewards of up to $10 million each for information related to:  “Diosdado Cabello Rondón, President of the illegitimate National Constituent Assembly; General (retired) Hugo Carvajal Barrios, former Director of Venezuela’s military intelligence (DGCOM); Clíver Alcalá Cordones, Major General (retired) in Venezuela’s Army; and Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah, Minister for Industry and National Productio,”  Pompeo added.  “While holding key positions in the Maduro regime, these individuals violated the public trust by facilitating shipments of narcotics from Venezuela, including control over planes that leave from a Venezuelan air base, as well as control of drug routes through the ports in Venezuela.”  The Secretary of State added:   “The Venezuelan people deserve a transparent, responsible, representative government that serves the needs of the people – and that does not betray the trust of the people by condoning or employing public officials that engage in illicit narcotics trafficking.  The United States is committed to helping the Venezuelan people restore their democracy through free and fair presidential elections that will provide them with honest and competent national leadership.”

The rewards are offered under the Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP).  More than 75 major narcotics traffickers have been brought to justice under the NRP since it began in 1986, according to the Department of State, which  has paid more than $130 million in rewards for information leading to those apprehensions.

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs manages the NRP in close coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security Investigations (ICE/HSI), and other U.S. government agencies.

DOJ    Accuses Maduro and Others Of Running  Narco-Terrorism Partnership with  FARC  To Flood U.S. With Cocaine 

U.S. Attorney  General Geoffrey S. Berman said the Department of  Justice announced criminal charges against Maduro “for running, together with his top lieutenants, a narco-terrorism partnership with the FARC for the past 20 years.  The scope and magnitude of the drug trafficking alleged was made possible only because Maduro and others corrupted the institutions of Venezuela and provided political and military protection for the rampant narco-terrorism crimes described in our charges.  As alleged, Maduro and the other defendants expressly intended to flood the United States with cocaine in order to undermine the health and wellbeing of our nation.  Maduro very deliberately deployed cocaine as a weapon.”  

Trump Administration Imposes Crippling Sanctions On Maduro Regime 

Last year, the US Trump administration  imposed sweeping economic sanctions against the Venezuela government, imposing a total financial embargo on the Latin American nation in a bid to choke the life out of the regime of Maduro.   President Trump  signed an Executive Order blocking all property and interests in property of the Government of Venezuela that are in the United States.   Venezuela now faces many of the tough US restrictions on Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria. The US sanctions came after the U.S. recognized Juan Guaidó  as “interim” president of Venezuela.  Maduro remains in control of Venezuela more than one year after Guaidó proclaimed himself president in a bid to topple the the Maduro regime.