Trump claims Venezuela's Maduro is a drug-trafficking threat to the US. Does the data back him up?

Source: CNN

Trump claims Venezuela’s Maduro is a drug-trafficking threat to the US. Does the data back him up?

Updated Sep 1, 2025, 4:20 PM ET
PUBLISHED Sep 1, 2025, 3:42 PM ET
By Stefano Pozzebon

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On August 7, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has been facing formal drug trafficking charges from the Justice Department since 2020.

Bondi declared that Maduro “is one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world and a threat to the national security” of the United States.

Caracas has always denied these accusations, but within hours, more than 4,000 US military personnel were deployed to Caribbean waters. Days later, more ships, submarines and aerial intelligence units joined them.

The rapid escalation of the crisis – just days after the Maduro government and the Trump administration celebrated a prisoner exchange and the resumption of Venezuelan oil exports through Chevron – has surprised many and opened rifts within the White House itself, where a faction opposed to Chavismo for ideological reasons is balanced by those who would prefer to avoid dangerous confrontations.

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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/01/americas/trump-venezuela-maduro-drug-threat-analysis-intl-latam