$BTC #ZTCBinanceTGE #BinanceHODLerBREV The phrase refers to the flow of gold out of Venezuela — especially during Nicolás Maduro’s leadership — and how that gold has been processed, sold, or moved internationally. It includes historic central bank shipments, ongoing illegal mining and smuggling networks, and controversies over who controls the gold and where it ends up.
VnExpress International
Historic gold exports to Switzerland
From 2013 to 2016, Venezuela shipped about 113–127 metric tons of gold — worth over $5 billion — to Switzerland.
VnExpress International +1
This gold came from the Venezuelan central bank and was likely sent for processing, certification, and global sale.
VnExpress International
Exports dropped to zero after 2017 once EU and Swiss sanctions began affecting Venezuelan officials.
VnExpress International
This move was part of Venezuela’s effort to raise hard currency amid economic collapse and sanctions.
VnExpress International
Frozen assets and geopolitical tensions
Switzerland has frozen assets linked to Maduro and 36 associates, though it’s unclear how much of those assets relate directly to the gold exports.
Moneycontrol
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s gold stored in countries like the UK (in the Bank of England) is part of a legal dispute over who controls it — the Maduro government or internationally recognized authorities after contested elections.
The Guardian
🛑 4. Illegal gold mining & smuggling
A huge part of Venezuela’s “gold trail” today is not official exports — it comes from illegal mining and smuggling networks:
👷♂️ Illegal Production and Smuggling
Up to 86 % of Venezuela’s gold production is illegal, much of it controlled by armed groups, military elites, and criminal networks.
Mongabay News
Around 70 % of that illegally mined gold is smuggled and laundered internationally via opaque channels, often through shell companies or informal pathways.
Mongabay News
track geopolitical tensions and U.S. economic data.#ZTCBinanceTGE
