The U.S. government has declared Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and two senior allies wanted on narco-terrorism charges, offering $65 million in rewards for information leading to their arrest.
The United States government on Tuesday declared Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and two of his closest allies wanted for drug trafficking and terrorism-related crimes, offering rewards totalling $65 million for their arrest.
In a statement, the U.S. Department of State announced sanctions against the Cartel de los Soles, which it described as a terrorist group “run by the corrupt and contemptible Nicolás Maduro.”
A wanted poster issued by the department labelled Mr Maduro as a “designated global terrorist cartel de los soles leader,” with a $25 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
His allies, Diosdado Cabello Rondón and Vladimir Padrino López, also face charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, and weapons trafficking, with rewards of $25 million and $15 million respectively.
The move came a day after Mr Maduro marked the first anniversary of his disputed presidential re-election.
The U.S. has long refused to recognise his government, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently deriding him as illegitimate.
Maduro, in turn, branded Rubio an “imbecile” in March, as tensions between Washington and Caracas deepen.