Venezuela gold mining

[searcher]

Dozens are feared dead in Venezuela gold mine collapse as more than 100 workers are trapped in 114ft illegal pit run by gangsters​

• Dozens of miners remain trapped in the remote Amazon region
• Venezuela’s socialist regime has increasingly relied on gold mined in Bolivar state to cover its expenditures and get around US sanctions on its oil industry
• The regime has been accused of allowing criminal gangs to run free in order to profit from the unsanctioned mines

At least 30 Venezuelans are feared dead after an unsanctioned 114-feet-deep gold mine collapsed, trapping over 100 men inside.

The wall of the open illegal gold mine, named Bulla Loca, collapsed on Tuesday, sparking a frantic rescue effort in the remote town of La Paragua, near the Venezuelan Amazon in Bolivar state.

Dozens of miners remain trapped as of Wednesday, with rescue teams dispatched to the remote area, mayor Yorgi Arciniega told told CNN en Espanol.

Arciniega said late Tuesday that he planned to take 'some 30 caskets' to a community near the mine, indicating that officials feared the death toll could rise into the dozens.

More:

MSN

 

[searcher]

Venezuela deploys troops in mafia-run gold mining heartland​

Venezuela stepped up its troop presence in its southern gold-mining region as the government moves to reopen the sector to foreign investment.

The military bombed and opened fire on illegally controlled mines in the Las Claritas mining region in southern Bolívar state, according to Américo De Grazia, a former local lawmaker. These attacks forced miners to flee, he said in an interview.

Venezuelan news outlet Tal Cual reported that special forces are carrying out operations to evict workers from unlicensed operations in the area.

More:

https://www.mining.com/web/venezuela-deploys-troops-in-mafia-run-gold-mining-heartland/

 

[searcher]

Trafigura Bought Venezuelan Gold in ‘Historic’ US Deal in March. It’s Still in Storage.​

Six months after the U.S. government announced it would begin gold imports from Venezuela following years of sanctions prevented the trade, the first major tranche of gold from the deal is still in storage, OCCRP has learned.

The gold is being held by commodities-trading giant Trafigura, which became the first international firm to take advantage of relaxed U.S. restrictions on purchasing Venezuelan gold in March, in what the White House touted as a “historic” deal.

"All gold Trafigura has purchased from Venezuela to-date is currently in storage, under Trafigura's control,” a Trafigura spokesperson told OCCRP in early September.

More:

Trafigura Bought Venezuelan Gold in ‘Historic’ US Deal in March. It’s Still in Storage.

Experts say lawlessness in Venezuelan gold mining areas makes it hard to meet U.S. standards for import. International commodities trader Trafigura told OCCRP that the Venezuelan gold it bought after the U.S. lifted restrictions in March is still sitting in a warehouse.

www.occrp.org

 

[searcher]

A Road Trip Through Venezuela’s Gold Route in 2026 | Caracas Chronicles

I crossed a mining region still run by mafias. Here’s how locals live down there

www.caracaschronicles.com