Inside Villa La Caracola, the $18M Dominican Mansion Linked to Maduro and Reportedly Seized by the US

The U.S. government seized a luxury mansion in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic, linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as part of a $700 million asset forfeiture targeting his alleged criminal empire, according to international reports.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the mansion's seizure in an interview with Fox Noticias, describing it as one among several purloined assets, including multimillion‑dollar jets, luxury homes in Florida, a horse farm, vehicles, jewelry, and cash, totaling "more than US $700 million." She compared the Maduro regime's activities to those of organized crime families, saying, "This is organized crime, no different than the mafia... yet his reign of terror continues."

Bondi framed these actions as part of a campaign against what she called "organized crime, no different from the mafia," whose operations she asserts continue to fund Maduro's network.

The operation builds on a years-long U.S. campaign to weaken Maduro's hold on power through a combination of legal actions, sanctions, and criminal indictments. In 2020, federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged Maduro and several top officials with narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States. Bondi also claimed that the Drug Enforcement Administration has seized more than 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, with nearly seven tons traced directly to the Venezuelan president.

According to Diario Libre, the property in the Dominican Republic is known as Villa La Caracola. The mansion is perched on an expansive oceanfront lot in Cap Cana, an exclusive enclave near Punta Cana.

The estate spans roughly 32,291 square feet of living space on a 64,583 sq ft. plot. The mansion boasts nine bedrooms, each with en‑suite bathrooms and private terraces, ten bathrooms in total, a formal dining room, a gourmet kitchen, multiple terraces, a palapa, and an infinity‑edge pool.

Among its standout features are two primary suites with balconies overlooking the Caribbean Sea, a semi‑covered bar, a gazebo, and expansive entertainment areas. The gated community offers high‑end amenities including a helipad, restaurants, shops, gyms, spas, cycling paths, a church, and 24‑hour security.

According to several reports, Villa La Caracola, originally purchased for $13 million, was later sold for $18 million to Samark José López Bello, identified by U.S. authorities as the frontman for former Venezuelan vice president and minister Tareck El Aissami, as well as a representative of Maduro.

In Caracas, Maduro's government has dismissed the maneuvers, labeling them "political theater." Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil labeled the seizure and the reward increase as "a crude political propaganda operation" and "a smokescreen" designed to distract from internal controversies in the United States. He insisted that the Venezuelan government would not be intimidated by foreign pressure. This action arrives just days after the U.S. raised the bounty for Maduro's arrest from $25 million to $50 million.