U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has reminded the citizens of Venezuela of the $15 million reward offered by the U.S. government for information leading to the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
This announcement comes in the wake of widespread allegations of election fraud during Venezuela’s recent presidential elections, which have been condemned internationally.
The Gateway Hispanic reported:
Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González, accompanied by María Corina Machado, spoke today at a press conference and stated that they have the evidence they needed to prove that Edmundo was the winner of the country’s long-awaited presidential elections.
María Corina Machado stated that Nicolás Maduro received 2.7 million votes and Edmundo González more than 6 million votes.
As they spoke, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of many cities in Venezuela to protest and denounce that the regime had stolen once again the election in which both candidates claimed victory.
Later in the day, the regime blocked the link to the opposition party’s website where they offered their proof of the stolen election.
Here is the full link: https://t.co/M7tPcuR71z it looks like they have already blocked access to the page with the opposition’s databases and votes in Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/jJnxgAvHG5
— Gateway Hispanic (@GatewayHispanic) July 30, 2024
On Monday, a group of U.S. Senators and Representatives headed by Sen. Marco Rubio came together to denounce the recent presidential election in Venezuela, labeling it a fraudulent and illegitimate exercise orchestrated by the Maduro regime.
The coalition includes Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Peter Welch (D-VT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Tim Scott (R-SC). They are joined by Representatives Carlos Giménez (R-FL), Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR), María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).
In their joint statement, the lawmakers declared:
“To no one’s surprise, dictator Nicolás Maduro has once again stolen a presidential election. However, what the narco-regime will never steal is the Venezuelan people’s desire to return to democracy and live in freedom after decades of tyranny. We must prioritize uniting the free world in rejecting these sham election results and securing the release of the more than 300 Venezuelans that remain arbitrarily detained in torture centers as political prisoners.
“The Maduro dictatorship is experiencing an internal fracture, and members of the dictatorship know their status quo, which is filled with incompetence, is no longer sustainable. There is massive discontent in the streets of Venezuela, and everyday citizens have stood in support of opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez. Let there be no doubt: the countries and international organizations backing this fraud of unimaginable proportions must be held accountable, as should members of the narco-regime and its ‘National Electoral Council’.”
Senator Rubio, a long-time critic of Maduro, changed his profile picture on X to remind the Venezuelans of the $15 million reward offered by the United States for information leading to the capture and prosecution of Maduro.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/a4EpLscldE
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 30, 2024
Since 2020, the U.S. government has established a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Nicolás Maduro. This was part of a broader indictment issued by the U.S. Department of Justice against Maduro and several other high-ranking Venezuelan officials, accusing them of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking conspiracies.
According to the State Department:
Since 2019, more than 50 countries, including the United States, have refused to recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s head of state.
Maduro helped manage, and ultimately, lead the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization comprised of high-ranking Venezuelan officials, as he gained power in Venezuela in a corrupt and violent narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Maduro negotiated multi-ton shipments of FARC-produced cocaine; directed the Cartel of the Suns to provide military-grade weapons to the FARC; during his tenure as Foreign Minister coordinated foreign affairs with Honduras and other countries to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking; and solicited assistance from FARC leadership in training an unsanctioned militia group that functioned, in essence, as an armed forces unit for the Cartel of the Suns.
Maduro was charged in a March 2020 Southern District of New York federal indictment for narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 960a and 963, and 18 U.S.C. § 924.
The U.S. Department of State is offering a REWARD OF UP TO $15 MILLION for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Nicolás Maduro Moros.
“7 years ago the Maduro regime began to partner with criminal street gangs called “colectivos” They allow these gangs to carry out their criminal activities with impunity In return the gangs agree to terrorize political opponents of the regime when called upon,” according to Rubio.
Sen. Rubio also introduced “the charming Diosdado Cabello,” the Venezuelan Minister of Drug Trafficking and Corruption.
“For those new to the issue of #Venezuela let me introduce you to the charming Diosdado Cabello, Minister of Drug Trafficking and Corruption. In partnership with high ranking generals he runs the “Cartel de los Soles.” $10 million available to anyone who can help make him a resident of the U.S. federal prison system,” Sen. Rubio wrote.
For those new to the issue of #Venezuela let me introduce you to the charming Diosdado Cabello, Minister of Drug Trafficking and Corruption
In partnership with high ranking generals he runs the “Cartel de los Soles”
$10 million available to anyone who can help make him a… pic.twitter.com/8CipwHR1v7
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 30, 2024
