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- US increases reward for arrest of Venezuela's Maduro to $50 million</p>
<p>August 7, 2025 at 11:47 PM</p>
<p>(Reuters) -The United States has doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to $50 million over allegations of drug trafficking and links to criminal groups, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday.</p>
<p>In a video posted to X, Bondi accused Maduro of collaborating with prominent criminal groups such as Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel.</p>
<p>Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on Telegram that the announcement was "the most ridiculous smokescreen ever seen."</p>
<p>"While we're debunking the terrorist plots orchestrated from her country, this woman is coming out with a media circus to please the defeated far-right in Venezuela," Gil said.</p>
<p>"The dignity of our homeland is not for sale. We repudiate this crude political propaganda operation," he added.</p>
<p>The Venezuelan information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>
<p>The reward was first set at $15 million in 2020, when U.S. prosecutors charged Maduro with drug trafficking. It was increased to $25 million in January 2025, as Maduro was sworn in for a third term, alongside new sanctions on top officials.</p>
<p>In February, the U.S. State Department formally designated the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, alongside MS-13 and several Mexican cartels. In July, it also designated Cartel de Los Soles as a global terrorist organization.</p>
<p>U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement late on Thursday that Maduro has been a leader of Cartel de los Soles for over a decade, which is responsible for trafficking drugs into the United States.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Christian Martinez and Vivian Sequera, Writing by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Saad Sayeed)</p>
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