Venezuela condemns ‘absurd’ U.S. actions as bounty on Maduro hits $50 million
The Venezuelan National Assembly has declared its formal support for President Nicolás Maduro following the United States’ decision to double its bounty on the Venezuelan leader to $50 million over federal drug trafficking charges.
National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez said, “We reject the absurd and desperate actions… that are clearly illegal and entirely baseless, beyond being a deranged attempt at aggression against the Constitutional President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros, and against our rebellious and courageous people.” He added, “These operations have no other purpose than to once again encourage extremist groups in the country and the region to return to the violence that has been defeated, will be defeated, and will continue to be defeated across the board by our government and our people.”
On August 7, the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Justice announced an increase in the reward offer under the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP) for “information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Nicolás Maduro for violating U.S. narcotics laws.”
U.S. officials accuse Maduro of being “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world” and link him to major drug smuggling operations. Washington claims he has been a leader of the Cartel de los Soles, which is alleged to have trafficked drugs into the United States for over a decade.
Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration seized 30 tons of cocaine tied to Maduro and his associates, with nearly seven tons allegedly connected directly to him.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
