By Ghazali Ibrahim
The U.S. government under Donald Trump’s administration has placed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and two of his top allies on its most wanted list, accusing them of leading an international drug-trafficking network.
In a statement released Tuesday, the U.S. Department of State announced a combined $65 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Maduro, Diosdado Cabello Rondón, and Vladimir Padrino López.
The breakdown includes a $25 million bounty on Maduro, another $25 million on Cabello, and $15 million on Padrino.
U.S. authorities allege the trio are at the helm of Cartel de los Soles, a powerful drug-trafficking organisation recently designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. Treasury Department.
A wanted poster issued by the State Department describes Maduro as a “designated global terrorist cartel de los soles leader” and lists charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and conspiracy to use and carry machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of a drug crime.
“@USTreasury just sanctioned Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist group. Run by the corrupt and contemptible Nicolás Maduro, it is responsible for trafficking drugs into the U.S.,” the statement said.
“Help us take down Maduro and his cronies Diosdado Cabello Rondón & Vladimir Padrino López!”
The announcement comes a day after Maduro marked the one-year anniversary of his re-election, a vote the U.S. and its allies have dismissed as fraudulent.
In a fresh jab, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Maduro an “illegitimate dictator” during Venezuela’s municipal elections on Sunday.
The U.S. has refused to recognise Maduro’s government since 2019 and has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions targeting Venezuela’s political elite and state-owned enterprises.
With the $65 million reward now in play, Washington appears to be escalating its push to dismantle Maduro’s grip on power and strike at the heart of what it describes as a narco-terrorist regime.
