CARACAS, Venezuela (CMC) — The United States (US) Department of State has increased to US$25 million, the reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro who has been charged in a federal indictment for narco-terrorism and drug trafficking-related offences.

Originally set at US$15 million, the reward was raised to US$25 million to underscore “the gravity of his crimes and the continued threat he poses to international stability,” according to a senior state department official.

The US government is urging individuals with relevant information to come forward. Individuals in the United States have been encouraged to reach out to their local Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office while those located outside the US are encouraged to contact the nearest US embassy or consulate.

Maduro, 62, has been under US indictment since 2020. Prosecutors allege he was a key figure in the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organisation comprising high-ranking officials.

He has been accused of leading a violent and corrupt narco-terrorism conspiracy in partnership with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated foreign terrorist organisation. US prosecutors claim that Maduro negotiated multi-ton shipments of FARC-produced cocaine, directed the cartel to provide military-grade weapons to the FARC, and sought the group’s assistance in training an unsanctioned militia that acted as an armed wing of the cartel.

The announcement of the increased reward for his arrest came on the same day he was sworn into office for a third term.

Maduro, who has ruled Venezuela since 2013, was declared the winner of the July 2024 election by the country’s electoral authority and top court, despite what the US State Department said was “credible evidence of electoral fraud”.

Washington has not recognised him as the legitimate president of Venezuela since 2019.