Illicit Gold Mining In Venezuela: Reform Or Regression?

This post is the first in a series on global trends in the illicit gold trade.

Several US-designated criminal and militant organizations, including Tren de Aragua, Cartel de los Soles, and the Colombian National Liberation Army (ELN) control significant territory in mineral-rich southern Venezuela, centered on the country’s Bolívar state. The illicit local mining sindicatos enjoyed over a decade of protection from these organizations, as well as from corrupt Venezuelan political and military officials. The mining activities primarily produce gold, which is used by the illicit actors for sanctions evasion, bribes and funding further illicit activities. The US, having captured Nicholas Maduro in January, has engaged in military cooperation and economic support with the new government in Caracas to disrupt entrenched organized crime by targeting illicit mining operations. If these efforts are successful, the new Venezuelan government could become more stable and local criminal