United State President, Donald Trump, has placed a $50 million reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, for allegedly aiding drug cartels globally.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government has dismissed the allegation and the reward for the president’s arrest as “pathetic”.
The US government increased the reward to $50 million on Friday after the face-off between both countries, particularly the presidents, intensified.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, said, “What I can tell you is Maduro is a narco-terrorist,” adding that the $50 million bounty was for Maduro’s capture to face US charges.
Trump, like his predecessor Joe Biden, does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president, claiming that he fraudulently retained power after elections last year.
Asked whether he wanted regime change in Venezuela, Trump said: “Well, we’re not talking about that. We are talking about the fact that you had an election, which was a very strange election, to put it mildly.”
“I can only say that billions of dollars of drugs are pouring into our country from Venezuela,” he added.
Along with a small Navy armada in the Caribbean, the United States has deployed F-35 warplanes to Puerto Rico.
And the Caracas government, which has placed its military on alert and mobilized citizen militia, alleged last week that the planes flew near its coast.
Maduro, who is the leader of the United Socialist Party and succeeded Hugo Chavez in 2013, has been repeatedly accused of repressing opposition groups and silencing dissent in Venezuela, including with the use of violence.
He returned to office in January following an election marred by vote-rigging allegations, an outcome that was widely rejected by the international community.
