USA Claims it seized over $700 million in assets from Nicolas Maduro
In parallel with the seizures, the US doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro arrest, raising it from $25 million to $50 million.
Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed that the Department of Justice seized $700 million in assets linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accused of leading the Cartel of the Suns, which the Donald Trump Administration declared a terrorist organization last July.
Bondi stressed that, despite this financial blow, the organization that supports Maduro remains active and operating on multiple fronts, which demonstrates the magnitude and resilience of his criminal network.
“This is organized crime, it is no different from the mafia and the (alleged crimes related to Maduro. The assets exceed the $700 million that we have already confiscated, but their reign of terror continues,” said Bondi, who on August 7 announced the increase from $25 to $50 million in the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest. Maduro was accused by the United States during Donald Trump's first term in 2020 of drug trafficking and terrorism. Specifically, Washington claims that this group is led by Maduro and high-ranking Venezuelan government officials and military personnel. Bondi explained that the assets confiscated from the Venezuelan include two luxury plans, several houses, a mansion in the Dominican Republic, several mansions in Florida, a horse farm, nine vehicles, millions of dollars in jewelry and cash.
But he insisted that this organized crime organization "continues to operate."
The accusation linking Maduro to drug trafficking was rejected by Venezuela's Minister of the Interior and Justice, Diosdado Cabello, who asserted that the Cartel of the Suns is an "invention" of the United States.
According to the Department of Justice, the Maduro regime maintains direct ties to cartels such as the Cartel of the Suns, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Tren de Aragua criminal group. The DEA has documented the seizure of dozens of tons of cocaine related to these operations, including nearly seven tons attributed directly to Maduro. Washington considers him a threat to national security and a key player in drug trafficking to the United States and Europe.