U.S. begins extracting Venezuelan gold

Trump Officials Broker Massive U.S.-Venezuela Gold Deal By Marc Caputo Axios, Arlington, Virginia Wednesday, March 4, 2026 Venezuela's state-owned mining company on Monday inked a multimillion-dollar deal to sell as many as 1,000 kilograms of gold destined for U.S. markets, two sources familiar with the deal tell Axios. The arrangement shows the tightening commercial bounds between Venezuela and the U.S. after President Trump ousted that nation's indicted socialist dictator and exerted de-facto control over its oil-rich petroleum company. ... Dispatch continues below ... ... ADVERTISEMENT ... Bullion Star Opens in the U.S., Selling and Vaulting Gold and Silver Bullion Star is now open in the United States, offering gold and silver bullion at extremely competitive prices with free delivery. Bullion Star also offers customers a year of free vault storage along with free delivery as well as storage in its secure precious metals vault in Dallas, Texas. Storing precious metals is challenging. Homeowner's insurance seldom covers precious metals, and safe deposit boxes offered by banks are neither insured nor covered by the government deposit insurance. Bullion Star's vault is an independently run, Class III UL-rated vault with uncompromising surveillance and round-the-clock security. With Bullion Star you can transact and store your metals securely and confidentially. Your bullion is fully insured against all risks at full replacement value. Bullion Star uses five audit methods to verify the existence and correctness of your stored bullion. For more information, please visit: https://www.bullionstar.us/ The gold deal requires state-owned company Minerven to furnish 650 to 1,000 kilos of gold dore bars to the commodities trader Trafigura, according to one of the sources. The contract calls for 98% final gold content, the source said. Trafigura will shepherd the gold to U.S. refineries under a separate arrangement with the U.S. government, that source said. U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who arrived in Venezuela Wednesday to discuss oil and mineral opportunities, helped shepherd the gold contract. ... ... For the remainder of the report: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/trump-us-venezuela-gold-deal * * * Support GATA by purchasing Stuart Englert's "Rigged" "Rigged" is a concise explanation of government's currency market rigging policy and extensively credits GATA's work exposing it. Ten percent of sales proceeds are contributed to GATA. Buy a copy for $14.99 through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rigged-Exposing-Largest-Financial%20-History/dp/1651405204/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?keywords=rugged+stuart+englert&qid=1579708888&sr=8-2-fkmr1 * * * Help keep GATA going: GATA is a civil rights and educational organization based in the United States and tax-exempt under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Its e-mail dispatches are free, and you can subscribe at: http://www.gata.org To contribute to GATA, please visit: http://www.gata.org/node/16 Donations of $500 or more will entitle the donor to a 1-ounce silver round commemorating GATA's work: https://www.gata.org/sites/default/files/GATA-silver-round-front.png