BREAKING: Venezuela shipped a staggering 113 metric tons of gold—worth about $5.2 billion—to Switzerland between 2013 and 2016 under Nicolás Maduro’s rule. This wasn’t just routine trade: it came straight from the Central Bank’s reserves while the country was collapsing economically and desperate for hard currency.

💰 What happened?

• Gold left Venezuela’s vaults and was sent to Swiss refineries—the heart of the global gold market—to be processed, certified and sold.

• These transfers stopped after 2017, once EU sanctions hit and Switzerland tightened rules.

🔥 Why this matters:

While Venezuelans suffered shortages, hyperinflation and hardship, strategic national reserves were drained in massive shipments that raise stark questions:

• Who truly benefited from billions in gold sales?

• Where did the money go?

• Why were national treasures liquidated amid crisis?

⚖️ Now, as Swiss authorities freeze assets linked to Maduro and his circle, the gold trail looms large in debates about transparency, economic desperation and elite powerplay.

👉 A jaw-dropping chapter of modern geopolitics and economics — **treasure lost while people suffered.**