The US has charged Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro, and other senior officials in the country with “narco-terrorism”.
It accused them of flooding the US with cocaine and using drugs as a weapon to undermine the health of Americans.
The charges were announced by Attorney General William Barr. A $15m (£12.5m) reward is being offered for information leading to Mr Maduro’s arrest.
The US move will further escalate tensions between the two nations.
Washington has long accused the Venezuelan president of leading a corrupt and brutal regime, a charge he has repeatedly rejected.
It backs the opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who declared himself interim president last year.
The new charges represent an escalation in the longstanding US pressure campaign on Mr Maduro, which also includes sweeping sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry.
