Mexican Senator Seeks Investigation On Venezuela's Maduro Over Alleged Ties To Sinaloa Cartel

Mexican Senator Alejandro Moreno Cardenas, also the leader of the PRI party, requested an investigation be opened on Venezuelan authoritarian president Nicolas Maduro after the Trump administration linked him with the Sinaloa Cartel.

In a filing addressed at Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero, Moreno Cardenas said Maduro "must answer before justice for all his ties with organized crime, Mexican cartels and Morena politicians," a reference to the party of President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The request follows President Donald Trump's reported approval of military strikes against Latin American cartels designated as terrorist organizations by his administration, which could open the door to attacking Maduro.

This is because the reported approval came just two weeks after the administration designated the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles to the list of global terrorist group, claiming that authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking officials lead the cartel.

Last Thursday, Bondi raised the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million, 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.

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.

Not all reacted to the allegation in the same way. On Sunday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he would consider any attack by U.S. forces on Venezuela as one against his country as well.

"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."