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Venezuela’s devastating June 24 earthquakes have transformed a delicate post-Maduro transition into a high-stakes test of the Trump administration’s strategy to maximize US influence.

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.

On April 16, 2026, Venezuela enacted and published the new Organic Law of Mines (the “Amended Mining Law”), which transforms its legal framework governing mining activities and repeals both the prior Decree...