When US special forces captured Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on January 3, 2026, they didn’t go in blind. DEA-linked informants, including Maduro’s personal driver and two members of his security detail, provided critical intelligence: movements, routines, exact location, and details of the Venezuelan president’s protection system.

The official reward was clear: up to $50 million for information leading to his arrest. The State Department had publicly posted it, hotline included. It was the largest reward ever offered for a sitting head of state.

But after the capture, US officials indicated the reward would not be paid. The argument: the arrest resulted from a “direct military operation,” not a standard law enforcement capture.

Former CIA officer Larry Johnson put it bluntly: “They collaborated with the US government and organized the whole operation for a monetary reward. And Trump refused to pay. All these guys cooperated, and now they’re being dumped.