JUST IN: Trump Offers $50 Million Reward For Capture Of Infamous Dictator

The Trump Administration on Thursday shocked the world by offering a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.

The U.S. government has long contended that Maduro is heavily involved in international cocaine trafficking and other criminal enterprises to keep his regime afloat. “Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like [Tren de Aragua], Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a video statement.

To date, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, Bondi said. This figure includes“nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself, which represents a primary source of income for the deadly cartels based in Venezuela and Mexico,” the attorney general added.

She further noted that cocaine linked with Maduro’s smuggling operations is often laced with fentanyl, which has resulted in “the loss and destruction of countless American lives.”

In March 2020, Maduro was hit with a slew of federal charges in the Southern District of New York related to his drug trafficking operations, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. At the time, the Trump Administration was offering a $15 million reward for any information relating to Maduro’s capture.

Maduro’s regime has also been directly linked with the infiltration of the ultra-violent Tren de Aragua street gang in the United States. President Trump formally designated the gang as a terrorist organization back in February, citing infiltration of Venezuela’s security agencies, as well as support for the gang from Maduro’s regime.

“TdA operates in conjunction with Cártel de los Soles, the Nicolas Maduro regime-sponsored, narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking. TdA has engaged in and continues to engage in mass illegal migration to the United States to further its objectives of harming United States citizens, undermining public safety, and supporting the Maduro regime’s goal of destabilizing democratic nations in the Americas, including the United States,” Trump wrote.

The president further noted that Tren de Aragua has infiltrated top law enforcement and state security agencies in Venezuela. He specifically pointed to Tareck El Aissami, the current vice president of Venezuela, who previously served as governor of Aragua. During his tenure from 2012 through 2017, the group rapidly expanded in size and influence.

Maduro speaks at his second inauguration in 2019

The Biden-led State Department increased the bounty to $25 million on January 10, which the Trump Administration doubled on Thursday.

“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,” Bondi said. “He is one of the largest narco traffickers in the world, and a threat to our national security,” she continued, adding that “under President Trump’s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice, and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes.”