US designates Venezuela's Maduro as terrorist, offers $50 million bounty

The United States has designated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a terrorist organization leader and placed a $50 million bounty for information leading to his capture or conviction. The announcement, made on November 24, 2025, labels Maduro as the head of the "Cartel de los Soles" (Cartel of the Suns), which the US alleges is a major drug trafficking organization. This marks the highest such reward ever offered in American history.

Formal Designation and Record Bounty

The US State Department officially added Maduro to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, with the designation published in the US government's official gazette. A bulletin from the department states that the $50 million reward is for information that leads to "the arrest and/or conviction" of "Nicolas Maduro Moros, leader of the Cartel de los Soles." Reports from US media, including Fox News, suggest this move could precede further actions against Venezuela.

Venezuela's Strong Condemnation

The Venezuelan government has vehemently rejected the US designation, denying the very existence of the "Cartel de los Soles." In a statement published on its Foreign Ministry's website, the Caracas government condemned the accusation as a "malicious lie" and an attempt to create a pretext for an illegal intervention in the country. The statement further accused the US of pursuing classic "regime change" plans and called on the Trump administration to abandon this "wrong and aggressive policy."