U.S. Department of State arrest poster for arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro
By Gary Raynaldo – DIPLOMATIC TIMES
The United States announced Friday it increased the reward for information leading to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s arrest to $25 million. The announcement was made on the same day Maduro was sworn-in for a third six-year presidential term that the U.S. government claims was fraudulent. A $25 million reward was also offered for Maduro’s named Minister of Interior, Justice, and Peace Diosdado Cabello, increased from $10 million. A new reward of up to $15 million was announced for Maduro’s named Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino. The U.S. also announced a new round of sanctions against several Venezuelan officials.
The US and several Latin American states refused to recognize Maduro as the winner of the July 2024 election. The U.S. has recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez as the country’s rightful president-elect. The Trump administration initially offered a reward up to $15 million in 2020 for the arrest and or conviction of Maduro as part of an indictment against the Venezuelan leader for alleged involvement in narcotics trafficking. U.S. prosecutors allege Maduro helped manage and ultimately lead the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization comprised of high-ranking Venezuelan officials. They accused Maduro and other government officials of flooding the US with cocaine and using drugs as a weapon to undermine the health of Americans. Maduro denies all drug trafficking accusations against him and senior members of his government, accusing the US of attempting to violently remove him from office. Maduro claims that, on the contrary, he has been actively fighting the narcotics trade in the Latin American country.
“Since last year’s election, Maduro and his associates have continued their repressive actions in Venezuela,” said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. “The United States, together with our likeminded partners, stands in solidarity with the Venezuelan people’s vote for new leadership and rejects Maduro’s fraudulent claim of victory.”
