For years, the U.S. government has accused Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro of supplementing his socialist regime's revenue with profits derived from the trafficking and distribution of dangerous and deadly illicit narcotics in the U.S., to the great detriment of the American people and national security.

On Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that a $50 million reward was now offered for anyone who could provide information that would lead to Maduro's arrest and criminal prosecution, according to the Associated Press.

That doubles the $25 million reward for Maduro's arrest offered during the previous Biden administration, which in turn had been increased from the initial $15 million reward set in 2020 during the first Trump administration.

Reward doubled

In March 2020, then-President Donald Trump's Justice Department issued a criminal indictment of Venezuelan President Maduro and more than a dozen of his associates on a variety of counts that included conspiracies, corruption, drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, and weapons charges.

At that time, the DOJ and State Department, through their Narcotics Rewards Program, offered up a $15 million bounty for information that would lead to the arrest and/or conviction of Maduro, with smaller amounts offered for his several co-conspirators.

As noted by the AP, that bounty was later increased to $25 million under former President Joe Biden, but Maduro has nonetheless remained in power in Venezuela, including after purportedly winning re-election in a 2024 contest that was widely condemned internationally as rigged and a "sham."

Now, with President Trump back in the White House, pressure on Maduro's socialist dictatorship in Venezuela has been ramped up even further, and the State Department under Secretary Marco Rubio announced on Thursday that the reward for the disputed leader's arrest and/or conviction has been doubled to $50 million.

That announcement alleged that Maduro is the leader of the Cartel de los Soles, which is accused of trafficking illicit drugs into the U.S. and, just last month, was formally named as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization.

Accountability coming?

Also on Thursday, Bondi posted a video on social media in which she similarly announced the "historic $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Nicholas Maduro."

"Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like [Tren de Aragua], Sinaloa, and Cartel of the Suns, to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country," she continued. "To date, the DEA has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, with nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself, which represents a primary source of income for the deadly cartels based in Venezuela and Mexico."

"Cocaine is often laced with fentanyl, resulting in the loss and destruction of countless American lives," Bondi claimed of the fatal scourge of Maduro's illicit narcotics in the U.S.

"The DOJ has seized over $700 million of Maduro-linked assets, including two private jets, nine vehicles, and more, yet Maduro's reign of terror continues," the attorney general said. "He is one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world, and a threat to our national security."

"Therefore, we've doubled his reward to $50 million," she added. "Under President Trump's leadership, Maduro will not escape justice, and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes.

The AP noted that a request for comment to Maduro's office about the increased bounty for his arrest did not receive a response.