The US has doubled its award for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to $50m (£37.2m) because it accuses him of working with cartels to flood the US with fentanyl-laced cocaine.
On the time Maduro was indicted in Manhattan federal court docket in 2020 on federal costs of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine, the US provided a $15m reward for his arrest.
Underneath US President Donald Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, the provide went as much as $25m – the identical quantity the US provided for the seize of Osama bin Laden following the 11 September 2001 assaults.
“Underneath President Trump’s management, Maduro won’t escape justice and he shall be held accountable for his despicable crimes,” Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi mentioned Thursday in a video asserting the brand new reward.
Ms Bondi mentioned the Justice Division has seized greater than $700m in property linked to Maduro, together with two personal jets, and mentioned almost seven tonnes of seized cocaine had been traced on to the leftist chief.
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Venezuelan overseas minister Yvan Gil launched an announcement characterising the reward as “pathetic” and accusing Ms Bondi of orchestrating a “crude political propaganda operation”.
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“We’re not stunned, coming from whom it comes from.
“The identical one who promised a nonexistent ‘secret listing’ of Epstein and who wallows in scandals for political favours,” Mr Gil mentioned, referring to the backlash Ms Bondi confronted after the Justice Division introduced final month {that a} long-rumoured “client list” of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein doesn’t exist.
“Her present is a joke, a determined distraction from her personal distress.”
