There are credible reports of a human source that allowed the CIA to follow Maduro’s movements until he was captured.
MIAMI, United States. – The capture of Nicolás Maduro by US forces in Caracas last Saturday reactivated a politically explosive question: who, if anyone, will collect the reward of up to $50 million that Washington had announced for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of the ruler.
The reports on the US operation that ended with the capture of Maduro have added a key element to answer who could collect the reward: the existence of a CIA human source with direct access to his movements. Reuters reported that the agency had “an asset close to Maduro” that monitored his movements and was in a position to specify his exact location as the operation developed. At the same time, CBS News pointed out that the CIA had “a source within the Venezuelan Government” who helped track Maduro’s whereabouts until the moment of his capture.
However, the fact that there is an “insider” (or an informant with privileged access) does not automatically mean that someone will receive the money, nor that the payment will be announced. The reward was offered by the Department of State and the Department of Justice under the Narcotics Rewards Program, “for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction” of Maduro. In other words: what is paid is not “participating” in the military or police operation, but rather providing information that was decisive for the arrest to occur (and, depending on the case, to sustain an eventual conviction).
The central question, then, is divided into two: whether that source provided information that Washington considers causally decisive to capture Maduro, and whether that person is legally eligible to collect. At this point the main obstacle to the “infiltrator within the Government” thesis appears: the law that governs the program. establishes an ineligibility clause for any “official or employee” of a federal, state, local, or foreign government who, “while performing official duties,” provides the information.
If the person described by CBS really worked within the Venezuelan Government, the State Department would have to evaluate whether he acted “in the performance” of official functions or outside of them, a nuance that can define whether payment is possible or prohibited.
Even if the informant is eligible, there is no obligation to make his or her identity transparent. The same rule empowers the Secretary of State to adopt “protective measures” when he considers that the identity of the recipient of the reward or his or her family must be protected. And although the law provides that, after paying a reward, the State Department sends a report to Congress specifying the amount and to whom it was paid, it also provides that this report can be sent in classified form “if necessary.”
The amount, for its part, is also discretionary. The State Department raised in August 2025 the offer “up to 50 million” for information about Maduro. The legal text sets a general maximum of 25 million per reward, but allows this ceiling to be exceeded if the Secretary of State personally authorizes it under certain justifications. In practice, this leaves room for Washington to pay less than 50 million, pay in installments, or conclude that no payment is due if it considers that the information received was not what “led” to the arrest.
The political component is not minor either. After the capture, the discussion about legality, sovereignty and the role of intelligence and special forces has escalated in international forums and in the press, a context that usually pushes this type of decision towards secrecy: if there was an informant, his public exposure would make him an immediate target.
In short, there are credible reports of a human source that allowed the CIA to follow Maduro’s movements, including versions that place it “within the Venezuelan Government,” but there is no official confirmation that Washington will pay the reward or what amount. And even if he did pay, the law leaves the door open for the beneficiary’s name to never be publicly known.
The reward of 50 million was announced on August 7 by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Until then, the United States offered 25 million. The incentive began in 2020 with 15 million, after the presentation of drug trafficking charges against the Venezuelan ruler.
