US Attorney General Pamela Bondi. Photo: Screenshot of US Department of Justice footage.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—On Thursday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil condemned the increase in the US bounty on President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million as “pathetic” and a “ridiculous smokescreen” to appease Venezuela’s far-right.
“Pamela Bondi’s pathetic bounty is the most ridiculous smokescreen we have ever seen,” Gil stated, criticizing the US attorney general. “While we are dismantling terrorist plots orchestrated by her country, she stages a media circus for Venezuela’s defeated far-right.” Gil questioned Bondi’s credibility, citing her “promise of a nonexistent Epstein list” and history of “wallowing in scandals over political favors.”
Reward
The US Departments of Justice and State announced the increased bounty—from $25 million to $50 million—for information leading to Maduro’s arrest. Attorney General Pamela Bondi linked Maduro to alleged corruption and drug trafficking networks, including the disputed Cartel de los Soles and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, though no evidence was presented.
International reaction
During her Friday press conference, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated unequivocally: “We have no evidence” linking Maduro to Mexican drug trafficking. She challenged Washington: “If they have any evidence, they should present it.”
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the bounty as illegal “unilateral measures,” writing: “Once again, the US government presents itself as a ‘global judge'” to justify actions against Venezuela’s legitimate government. He added: “We condemn its fraudulent announcements, which violate principles of international law.”
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez reinforced this, calling the bounty a “new act of aggression” against Venezuela.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a formal statement declaring the bounty an “unprecedented violation of the UN Charter” that “threatens the normative and ethical foundations of the United Nations.” It accused the US of “threatening Venezuela’s legitimate president” with “baseless accusations,” calling it proof of Washington’s “aggressive unilateralism” and “addiction to coercive methods.”
Interior Minister of Venezuela: Cartel of the Suns is a US Lie
On Friday, Foreign Minister Gil publicly thanked Cuba’s Díaz-Canel for condemning the US “abuse.”
Venezuela’s counternarcotics stance
On Thursday, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello rejected the Cartel de los Soles as “an invention of Venezuela’s far right and US imperialism,” asserting the DEA is “the world’s largest drug cartel.” He highlighted Venezuela’s seizure of “over 50 tons of drugs this year” in operations against narco-gangs and groups “financing violence.”
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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