Corruption has long been a "chronic and well-known problem" in the Venezuelan oil industry.1 In recent years, investigations—mostly led by U.S. authorities without assistance from their...

US-designated criminal organizations control Venezuela's mineral-rich Bolívar state, using illicit gold mining to evade sanctions and fund operations. Following Nicholas Maduro's capture, the US and new Venezuelan government are deploying military force and economic reforms to dismantle these networks, but success depends on breaking entrenched corruption while attracting legitimate foreign investment.