US offers $50m reward for arrest of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro

A reward for information leading to the capture of Maduro, who the US accuses of drug trafficking, has been doubled.

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US President Donald Trump is a long-time critic of Maduro, who returned to office in January following an election marred by vote-rigging allegations. The results were widely rejected by the international community.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the US would double its already announced reward of $25m (£18.6m), and said Maduro was directly linked to drug smuggling operations.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the new reward was "pathetic" and labelled it "political propaganda".

"We're not surprised, coming from whom it comes from," Gil said, accusing Bondi of attempting a "desperate distraction" from headlines related to backlash over the handling of the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.