The Trump administration moved quickly to open up Venezuela's gold industry to US-linked companies after Maduro was ousted from power, arguing the deals would divert gold away from criminals and American rivals.

The Trump administration moved quickly to open up Venezuela's gold industry to US-linked companies after Maduro was ousted from power, arguing the deals would divert gold away from criminals and American rivals.

But a New York Times investigation found that hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Venezuelan gold is now in U.S. warehouses because refiners are unwilling to certify that it is free of criminal financing, corruption and environmental abuse.

The Times discovered that some of the gold entering the supply chain was linked to miners paying protection money to the Tern de Guyana gang. Another US-backed investor, Heeney Capital, took over operations at the El Chocó mine, where contractors also reportedly paid gang protection money.

Source: NYT