Check the map. In the southern portion of Venezuela you have coal on the left (in estado Zulia near Colombia) and gold on the right.
Colombian rebels hide out in Venezuela and operate rogue mines. For this they often enslave the local indigenous people. They started on the border and moved east.
"Rogue mines" in Venezuela are widespread
illegal mining operations that are largely controlled by criminal organizations, including gangs and Colombian guerrillas, with the involvement or acquiescence of the Venezuelan government and military.
These operations, particularly for gold, are concentrated in the southern Orinoco Mining Arc region and have devastating humanitarian and environmental consequences.
Key Details
- Control and Operation: The mines are run by a network of criminal groups, including local syndicates (sindicatos), large criminal gangs (megabandas), paramilitary groups (colectivos), the National Liberation Army (ELN), and dissidents of the FARC.
- Government Involvement: The Maduro regime and state security forces benefit from and facilitate this illicit activity, using state-owned enterprises to launder gold and extracting bribes and "cuts" of the profits from the criminal groups in exchange for control and transport. This serves as a vital source of revenue for the regime amid international sanctions.
- Location: The primary area for this activity is the "Orinoco Mining Arc," a vast area (12% of the country's territory) created by the government for mineral exploitation. However, illegal mining extends far beyond this zone, into protected areas and national parks like Canaima and Yapacana National Parks, which are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
- Humanitarian Crisis: An estimated 500,000 workers, many of them underage or from local indigenous communities, work in deplorable conditions under the constant threat of violence. Human rights abuses are rampant, including forced labor, sexual exploitation, torture, and summary executions.
- Environmental Devastation: The mining process involves extensive deforestation and the widespread use of mercury, which contaminates major river systems and the food chain, leading to severe health issues like mercury poisoning in local populations and spikes in diseases such as malaria.
The gold extracted from these "rogue mines" is often smuggled to countries like Colombia, Brazil, and Guyana, before being laundered and entering the global market, with destinations including Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
