The enemies of Morocco are falling down one after another like leaves in autumn. Now,it’s the turn of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro,a supporter of the Algerian junta and Polisario militia. The Trump administration has offered a $50 million-reward for his arrest.
Maduro is accused by the United States of being one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers and working with cartels to flood the U.S. with fentanyl-laced cocaine.
“Under President Trump’s leadership,Maduro will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said in a video announcing the reward.
Maduro was indicted in Manhattan federal court in 2020,during the first Trump presidency,along with several close allies on federal charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. At the time,the U.S. offered a $15 million reward for his arrest. That was later raised by the Biden administration to $25 million — the same amount the U.S. offered for the capture of Osama bin Laden following the Sept. 11,2001,attacks.
Morocco is the only African country that joined in 2024 the United States,Canada,the European Union and several Latin American governments in condemning Maduro’s re-election as a sham and recognized his opponent as Venezuela’s duly elected president.
The U.S. Justice Department has seized more than $700 million in assets linked to Maduro,including two private jets,and said nearly 7 tons of seized cocaine had been traced directly to the leftist leader.
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