United States: The Trump administration has doubled the reward for catching Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, to a massive $50 million. Officials accuse him of being one of the world’s biggest drug traffickers, working with cartels to send fentanyl-laced cocaine into the United States.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice. He will be held accountable for his awful crimes,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi in a video statement on Thursday.

Maduro was first charged in a Manhattan federal court back in 2020, during Trump’s first term. He and several close allies faced charges of narco-terrorism and conspiring to import cocaine into the US At the time, the reward for his arrest was $15 million. Later, during the Biden administration, it was raised to $25 million — the same amount the US once offered for Osama bin Laden, according to the reports by CNN.

Even with this huge bounty, Maduro has stayed in power. He’s ignored pressure from the US, the European Union, and several Latin American countries, who all said his 2024 re-election was rigged and instead recognized his opponent as the real winner.

Last month, Trump’s team struck a deal with Venezuela: the US secured the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in Caracas, and in return, Venezuela received migrants deported from the US to El Salvador. Shortly after, the White House allowed US oil giant Chevron to start drilling in Venezuela again — lifting a previous ban tied to sanctions.

Bondi also revealed that US authorities have seized over $700 million in assets linked to Maduro, including two private jets. Nearly seven tons of cocaine were traced directly to him, according to the Justice Department, as per CNN.

Venezuela’s foreign minister, Yvan Gil, dismissed the reward as “pathetic” and called it nothing more than political theater. He accused Bondi of running a “cheap propaganda operation” and mocked her over past controversies, including her comments about the non-existent “Epstein client list.”