MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Saturday her government has no evidence to support US claims linking Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to the powerful Sinaloa Cartel.

The allegations, tying Maduro to Mexico’s largest drug cartel and the Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua gang, were recently raised by the administration of US President Donald Trump.

"This is the first time we’ve heard about this issue. There is no investigation from Mexico related to it," Sheinbaum told reporters. "As we always say, if they have any proof, let them show it. We have no evidence related to that."

US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday announced the doubling of a reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, from $25 million to $50 million, calling him “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.”

The US has long accused Maduro of running a “narco-state” and facilitating cocaine shipments to North America through alliances with transnational criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel. Maduro has denied the allegations, dismissing them as politically motivated. — Agencies