Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro issued a warning to the Trump administration following the increased reward for information that could lead to his arrest.
Joined by political leaders and army chiefs, Maduro said "don't you dare." "Don't you dare because the answer can be the end of the U.S. empire. Leave alone those who are alone. I am a man of peace," he added.
Army Chief Domingo Hernandez Larez, on his end, said the armed forces keep "expressing their support to you as our commander-in-chief." "When they offer a reward for you in the style of a Hollywood western, the armed forces consider themselves offended," he added.
Attorney General Pam Bondi raised the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million last Thursday, saying he "will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes."
She also noted that the Justice Department has seized over $700 million in assets linked to Maduro, including private jets, and traced nearly 7 tons of cocaine directly to him.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil quickly reacted last week with a message on a Telegram channel, calling the decision "pathetic" and a "political propaganda operation."
Maduro was indicted in a 2020 Manhattan federal court on charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine, with an original $15 million U.S. bounty. The Biden administration later raised it to $25 million, matching the amount offered for Osama bin Laden's capture. Despite the high rewards and international condemnation of his 2024 reelection as illegitimate, Maduro remains in power.
The development comes as President Donald Trump reportedly approved the use of military force against Latin American cartels designated as terrorist organizations. This could open the door to attacking Maduro, considering the administration designated the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles to the list of global terrorist group, claiming Maduro and other high-ranking officials lead the cartel.
This weekend, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he would consider any attack by U.S. forces on Venezuela as one against his country as well.
In a series of social media posts, Petro replied to reports the executive order. "Above the hurricane, the people must raise the sword of Bolivar. I invite the governments of the U.S. and Venezuela to coordinate actions against drug-trafficking, in a multi-national and coordinated manner, without undermining national sovereignty. What must die is the greed of drug-trafficking, capitalism, but not Bolivar's project," Petro said.
In another publication, Petro said that "as commander-in-chief of the Colombian armed forces," "Colombia and Venezuela are the same people, the same flag, the same history."
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