US Captures Maduro, Spotlights Hidden Bitcoin Hoard

United States authorities captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a raid over the weekend, transporting him to New York to face federal charges, an operation that has intensified scrutiny over reports of a vast, hidden Bitcoin reserve controlled by his regime.

The arrest, conducted by US forces in early January 2026, has spotlighted allegations that Venezuela amassed between 600,000 and 660,000 bitcoins, valued at approximately 56 billion to 67 billion dollars at current prices near 92,000 dollars per coin. This shadow stockpile, far exceeding the roughly 240 bitcoins officially listed in public databases, reportedly stems from years of efforts to evade international sanctions. Intelligence sources familiar with the operations describe a systematic accumulation beginning in 2018, when the government liquidated gold from the Orinoco Mining Arc, exporting tens of tons worth about 2 billion dollars. These proceeds were converted into bitcoin at an average price of around 5,000 dollars per coin, yielding an estimated 400,000 bitcoins that have since appreciated dramatically.

Further inflows came from oil exports settled in Tether, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, between 2023 and...