{"id":4637,"date":"2017-09-26T19:59:12","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T16:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anticorr.media\/?p=4637"},"modified":"2017-09-29T10:41:45","modified_gmt":"2017-09-29T07:41:45","slug":"zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/","title":{"rendered":"Gold and Chaos in Orinoco"},"content":{"rendered":"

This material belongs to: OCCRP<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Venezuela\u2019s prisons, the pran (gang boss), who gives pranato its name, is the supreme and unquestionable leader of the criminal structure. He manages all illegal trade, including arms and drug trafficking, and has an entourage at his disposal. He freely makes use of the assets and lives of the inmates he oppresses. Defying him means almost certain death. The pranato in Las Claritas is structured much the same as its prison counterparts, imposing its will through fear and lead.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Venezuelan Observatory of Violence<\/a>, an academic organization which studies the roots and impact of violence on society, says that pranato arise when law breaks down. It\u2019s survival of the fittest: \u201cThe [pranato] is a symbol of the breakdown of formal institutional control, in its first phase; its spread shows the social decay that adapts to state incompetence to carry out whatever formal or informal control is effective to regulate social and individual behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of this breakdown, pranatos are no longer confined to Venezuela\u2019s prisons. They have been\u00a0spreading<\/a>\u00a0and consolidating their power across the almost 112,000 square kilometers of Bol\u00edvar state, where the Venezuelan government is launching its massive Orinoco Mining Arc project.<\/p>\n

The Orinoco Mining Arc comprises more than 12 percent of Venezuela\u2019s territory, stretching across the country\u2019s midsection, south along the Orinoco River. It is believed to contain large and valuable deposits of copper, gold, diamonds, and newly lucrative minerals such as columbite\u2013tantalite (or coltan for short), a dull black metallic ore used to make tantalum transistors, which are used in everything from mobile phones to advanced weaponry.<\/p>\n

Just as there\u2019s a pranato in every prison in Venezuela, each mining town in Bol\u00edvar has its own group that calls itself a \u201csyndicate.\u201d But these organizations have nothing to do with labor rights. They\u2019re actually armed gangs that have taken advantage of the mayhem created by the lack of state authority to dig their dens.<\/p>\n

Everyone in Las Claritas, including the civil and military authorities, know who runs the local syndicate. Martes is the second in command and controls the town, serving as a kind of political representative for the local pranato. Another lieutenant named Darwin, who goes by El Viejo (\u201cthe old man\u201d), controls everything that happens in the mines around the town.<\/p>\n

El Viejo controls an alcabala, or checkpoint, at the entrance of the Las Brisas-Las Cristinas mines, one of the town\u2019s most important jobs. Controlling the checkpoint means controlling the extraction of gold in the area.<\/p>\n

Since 2008, when the assets of two foreign companies, Gold Reserve<\/a> and Cristallex<\/a>, were taken over by the government, the exploitation of the largest gold deposit in Venezuela has remained in the hands of this increasingly organized crime group.<\/p>\n

Martes insists that his syndicate has been growing and consolidating under the protection of the civil and military authorities of the Venezuelan state. And while its growth is not a direct consequence of the Orinoco Mining Arc, the criminals who increasingly call the shots in Las Brisas-Las Cristinas say there is no chance that the government will even regain control, even if they beef up their military presence in the region.<\/p>\n

Martes says that anarchy has prevailed in the area since mining began decades ago, and that this would never change. Mining generates so much money that any officials who try to impose order can easily be bought.<\/p>\n

The big boss \u2014 the head pran of Las Claritas \u2014 is Juan Gabriel Rivas N\u00fa\u00f1ez<\/a>, better known as Juancho. Colombian by birth, this man is well connected to the security services. He has Venezuelan citizenship and identity documents in at least two different names.<\/p>\n

On June 28, 2012, he was arrested along with his associates by a team of Bol\u00edvar state\u2019s Anti-Extortion and Kidnapping Command<\/a>. Tellingly, all of those arrested carried Bol\u00edvar Police credentials. The items confiscated in that operation included two Pietro Beretta<\/a> .92s, a Glock<\/a> 18, a five-shot shotgun, three 12-mm shotguns and three sawn-off shotguns, a truck, and two vans. All the detainees were turned over to the Prosecutor\u2019s Office \u2014 but, according to a report by Jos\u00e9 Gregorio Lezama G\u00f3mez<\/a>, the officer in charge, \u201cThey were released the next day and [the pranato] got back all the items seized within one week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Led by this man, the pranato in Las Claritas has not only armed men, vans and motorcycles at its disposal. As the failure of the 2012 operation shows, it also has possible ties to civil and military officials.<\/p>\n

The local people say that the syndicate\u2019s leaders do whatever they want. Nobody in Las Claritas dares interfere with their activities or question them. Everyone fears them, everyone follows them.<\/p>\n

The Missing State<\/h3>\n

Venezuela, globally renowned for its oil, is also rich in mineral wealth \u2014 and should be providing a comfortable life for its people. But it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

In 2011, the late president Hugo Ch\u00e1vez envisioned a huge mining project in the Guiana Highlands. It is one of the oldest geological formations on the continent, rich in minerals that the Venezuelan government hopes to exploit to replace income lost from falling oil prices and the country\u2019s broader economic collapse.<\/p>\n

That year, Ch\u00e1vez announced a large-scale mineral exploitation project in the area, on the southern bank of the Orinoco River. The head of state\u00a0insisted<\/a>\u00a0on the need to diversify Venezuela\u2019s economy, which relies almost exclusively on oil export earnings. But he died in 2013 and the project never got off the ground.<\/p>\n

Five years later, when the fall of international oil prices plunged Venezuela into deep economic crisis, President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro revived Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s idea, and on Feb. 26, 2016, decreed the creation of the Orinoco Mining Arc.<\/p>\n

But the exploration and exploitation of minerals takes longer than the government can afford to wait: Oil production by the state-owned PDVSA<\/a> (Petroleum of Venezuela<\/a>) decreased by almost 10 percent in 2016 and will remain near 23-year lows this year, according to the company\u2019s calculations as reported by Reuters in the beginning of the year. The International Monetary Fund<\/a> said that Venezuela suffered the world\u2019s highest inflation in 2016, and that too is expected to recur in 2017.<\/p>\n

The shortage of food and medicines, and resulting hunger and disease, have been characterized by the United Nations, the Vatican<\/a>, and other international bodies as a humanitarian crisis. Popular discontent has spilled over into the streets, and a wave of protests that began in April 2017 left over 120 dead by the end of July.<\/p>\n

The Orinoco Mining Arc has not provided the resources the government so urgently needs. Meanwhile, Venezuelans\u2019 quality of life\u00a0continues to decline<\/a>. Those who can have\u00a0fled the country<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And in the Arc itself, the state enjoys no monopoly on power. The locals live under the terror of the guns.<\/p>\n

Local organized crime groups have been accused of major crimes. In March 2016, 17 miners were murdered in Tumeremo<\/a>, a mining town near San Claritas in the Sifontes<\/a> municipality.<\/p>\n

A gang led by Jamilton Andres Ulloa Suarez<\/a>, known as El Topo, another pran in the region, was\u00a0said to be responsible<\/a>, according to Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez<\/a>, Minister of Popular Power for Interior, Justice and Peace<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Afterwards, the area was\u00a0declared<\/a>\u00a0a \u201cspecial military zone.\u201d According to Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino Lopez<\/a>, \u201cover a thousand military personnel<\/a>\u201d were deployed to the region to search for the miners when they first went missing.<\/p>\n

But a year later, the only soldiers to be seen are manning the same six National Guard<\/a> checkpoints that existed before the Tumeremo massacre along Trunk Road 10<\/a>, which runs through the region down to the Brazilian border.<\/p>\n

The government rarely mentions the gangs\u2019 growing power in its public statements and promises that revenue obtained from mineral mining will be re-invested in social programs.<\/p>\n

On March 27, 2017 \u2014 just as reporters arrived in Las Claritas \u2014 President Maduro green-lit the Siembra Minera Mixed Ecosocialist Mining Company<\/a>\u2019s plans to develop more than 18,951 hectares in Sifontes municipality. It\u2019s the Orinoco Mining Arc\u2019s most ambitious initiative, precisely because it\u2019s meant to exploit Las Brisas-Las Cristinas, the largest gold deposit in Venezuela.<\/p>\n

\"\"
In Las Claritas, the sewage system has collapsed and raw sewage flows along the main street. Source: William Urdaneta.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Siembra Minera,\u00a0created by presidential decree<\/a>\u00a0in September 2016, is made up of the Venezuelan Mining Corporation (which holds 55 percent of the shares) and GR Mining<\/a> (Barbados) Inc., the offshore branch of a company headquartered in Spokane<\/a>, Washington called Gold Reserve, Inc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Brick Wall Named El Viejo<\/h3>\n

The Las Brisas-Las Cristinas mines \u2014 the ones set to be exploited by the new initiative \u2014 are just outside of Las Claritas. But when reporters set out to see them, they\u2019re stopped by El Viejo. The physically imposing pran looks around 35. He operates in a sector called El Mecate, where he can usually be found leaning on a motorcycle on the red dirt road, surrounded by half a dozen protective gunmen.<\/p>\n

One of his men collects payments of between 3,000 and 20,000 Bolivars from anyone who tries to cross the area on their way to the mines. This is a kind of vacuna \u2014 a tribute in either money or in kind that all local inhabitants must pay in exchange for protection.<\/p>\n

Less than 100 meters away from this unofficial checkpoint, two Bol\u00edvar state police agents meekly wave at a passerby. They don\u2019t seem the least bit interested in stopping the tributes or investigating what\u2019s going on further ahead in the mines.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, no. Forget it,\u201d El Viejo says. \u201cNobody gets through unless Juancho, the boss who controls this whole area of Las Claritas, authorizes it.\u201d<\/p>\n

On hearing from reporters that Juancho was out of town, El Viejo agrees. \u201cYeah, that\u2019s right. Maybe he\u2019s at the cockfights. Sometimes he spends several days in other towns for the cockfights. But again: without Juancho\u2019s permission, nobody\u2019s allowed through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reporters ask whether the military has access.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, are you listening to me? Juancho\u2019s the boss here. Everyone\u2019s got to do what he says, and that includes the military. Enough questions, get the hell out of here!\u201d<\/p>\n

An outdoor prison<\/h3>\n

\u201cJuancho\u2019s out,\u201d Martes had earlier said. \u201cI understand he\u2019s meeting with some government bigshots and some generals. You gotta wait until he returns.\u201d<\/p>\n

While they wait, reporters explore the town.<\/p>\n

Las Claritas is like an outdoor prison. Dozens of families occupy the sidewalks and sleep in overcrowded conditions, either in hammocks or on the ground. Some use black plastic to build makeshift houses. There is a black market in food, medicine, and fuel. Law enforcement and military personnel stay at a distance and never get involved. Police are barred from Las Claritas in the same way they are barred from prisons across the country.<\/p>\n

Sewage flows freely through the dusty main street from broken pipes, collecting in noxious pools that become huge on rainy days.<\/p>\n

The town\u2019s medical clinic is a series of mostly empty rooms. One is used to tend to people suffering from malaria, a once-eradicated disease which has resurfaced as an epidemic and has now spread from southern Bol\u00edvar towns to the whole country.<\/p>\n

Vallenato<\/a> and bachata<\/a> shows, a type of local music and dance that serves as the main distraction from the town\u2019s incessant commercial activity, are frequently shut down by power failures. The lack of public lighting means that the place seems even bleaker at night.<\/p>\n

The police are nowhere to be seen, day or night, in Sifontes municipality, which is led by Mayor Carlos Chancellor<\/a>. The Bol\u00edvar state\u2019s Governor\u2019s Office, occupied for more than 12 years by General Francisco Rangel G\u00f3mez<\/a> of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela<\/a>, doesn\u2019t provide security either. The police presence in the state consists of temporary mobile checkpoints, like the one in Las Claritas\u2019 main street, manned by six officers.<\/p>\n

Two permanent National Guard posts bookend the town. Soldiers at the entrance checkpoint strictly inspect vehicles transiting through the area. But the inhabitants of Las Claritas, like the truck drivers gathered in a diner called \u201cEl Rinc\u00f3n del Gandolero,\u201d have strategies to avoid extortion \u2014 and they don\u2019t mind sharing.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Small traders sell gas everywhere, in defiance of military control of gas sales. Source: William Urdaneta.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe pay tribute to the syndicate, but we also pay the soldiers,\u201d says one of the men while eating from a heaped plate. \u201cIf you carry any type of merchandise they, the military, might be interested in, like concrete or construction blocks, you have to barter. Either they take part of the merchandise for themselves or they demand money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miners say they prefer to sell to the syndicates because the soldiers often take part or sometimes all of their gold.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a single fuel station outside Las Claritas, at kilometer #88 of the road known as Trunk Road 10. Though Venezuela is one of the biggest oil producers in the world, queues for fuel extend several blocks and drivers must wait between six and 12 hours. \u201cSometimes we end up wasting our time, the fuel doesn\u2019t arrive or runs out before everyone gets to buy the daily 30-litre quota we\u2019re allowed,\u201d one of the drivers complains.<\/p>\n

Soldiers are meant to hold exclusive control over fuel distribution. But someone\u2019s evidently bypassing these controls, because gasoline hawkers crowd the sidewalk along the town\u2019s main street, selling to the highest bidder. They charge between 10,000 and 12,000 Bolivars per liter, though the government-sanctioned price is just 6 Bolivars.<\/p>\n

Trade in Las Claritas is based on black-market rules. Like a drug cartel, the syndicate establishes the price of gold: 80,000 Bolivars per gram, as the reporter witnessed. Whoever tries to sell it at a higher price faces a beating or even death. That\u2019s how syndicate members charged with enforcing the rules respond to radio calls: \u201cOn our way. The guy who\u2019s breaking the rules is gonna get the beating he\u2019s asking for. And if he does it again, we get rid of him.\u201d The reporter was able to hear these words through an internal radio communication in which no name was given.<\/p>\n

In late March 2017, the international price for a troy ounce of gold was around $1,250. Though the gold trade in Las Claritas is quite informal (scales are the sole requirement), the syndicate\u2019s price comes out to 2.5 million Bolivars per troy ounce, or about $650-$780 per ounce calculated at black market rates \u2014 a price significantly lower than the market one.<\/p>\n

Staples missing from shelves elsewhere in the country can be found in Las Claritas, but at absurd prices. Medicines missing from Venezuela\u2019s drugstores are offered in a variety of brands by street vendors, who hawk them from small baskets hung around their necks for up to 30 times above the government-regulated rate. F\u00e9lix Garc\u00eda, one such vendor, says that everything he sells comes from Caracas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all for sale in Las Claritas, from clothing to iPhones. The black market is filled with sights unthinkable in any other town or city in Venezuela: People carry plastic bags brimming with the packs of 100-Bolivar notes that they need for their day-to-day transactions. Almost every vendor and store has a bill-counting machine. Meanwhile, the gold vendors (more than 200) offer transfers to any bank.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Juan Gabriel Rivas Nu\u00f1ez, also known as Juancho, is the pran or organized crime boss in Las Claritas, according to a report submitted to the National Assembly. Source: Report sent to the National Assembly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some people struggle to scratch a living amid Las Claritas\u2019 apparent plenty. Claudia Nieves, a 32-year old mother of three small children, approaches a food stand to ask for what she calls a \u201ccontribution\u201d but is in reality a handout. She had arrived in Las Claritas from San F\u00e9lix<\/a> the previous day, a distance of about 350 kilometers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI come here with my kids because I don\u2019t have anyone to take care of them,\u201d she says. \u201cI spend a week asking for spare change and I managed to collect enough money to buy a pack of rice, another of pasta, another of sugar and cereal and diapers for my youngest. I was offered a job in the mines as a cook, but they won\u2019t take my children. And I can\u2019t leave them out here because they\u2019re always sick with flu and skin sores.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Sunday, April 2, it\u2019s clear that Juancho won\u2019t be returning in time for reporters to interview him. Nor will they be gaining access to the mines.<\/p>\n

That afternoon, Martes takes some time off at El Monta\u00f1ez, a gambling den specializing in horseracing. It\u2019s plastered with pictures of naked women. A pole for dancers decorates the center of one of the halls.<\/p>\n

Martes sits at a table right in front of the TVs, watching the races. Sitting nearby, the two armed bodyguards who follow him everywhere build towers of 100-Bolivar bills. Humberto\u2019s bet is far bigger than all the others combined.<\/p>\n

The trumpet sounds and the horses take off. People yell louder as the race comes to an end just a minute and a half later. The pran, however, remains impassive. He seems not to care whether he wins or loses.<\/p>\n

Protected by Impunity<\/h3>\n
\n

The allure of mining for organized crime is an old story, as the Curvelo case shows.<\/p>\n

On Oct. 24, 2015, Army first lieutenant and Bol\u00edvar Governor\u2019s Office official Jes\u00fas Leonardo Curvelo<\/a> was arrested with 33 million Bolivars (US$5.2 million) in cash, tightly packed in boxes in his vehicle. They were seized when he tried to clear a National Guard checkpoint on Trunk Road 10 in La Romana, inside the Orinoco Mining Arc.<\/p>\n

The Prosecutor\u2019s Office\u00a0determined<\/a>\u00a0that Curvelo, along with the driver Pedro Rafael Goit\u00eda Salazar, were part of a criminal organization.The prosecutors didn\u2019t investigate who else was involved, but did reveal \u2014 after tracing bank movements \u2014 that some of the funds came from four government institutions related to social programs.<\/p>\n

The prosecutor\u2019s next step should have been to determine why Salazar had the money, and to ask the heads of each institution to explain. But they didn\u2019t go any further.<\/p>\n

Curvelo remained in detention for 106 days until Feb. 3, 2016, when the judge in the case granted him house arrest. Then he fled the country and requested political asylum in Portugal.<\/p>\n

In a phone interview from Portugal this January, Curvelo admitted committing criminal acts and said the last parcel he tried to drive to the pran of Las Claritas fell through because there had been \u201cno coordination\u201d among the military chiefs stationed along Bolivar\u2019s southern towns. Curvelo is convinced that the higher echelons in the army are involved in the scheme.<\/p>\n

Curvelo said he knew he was transporting illegal money. \u201cYes, of course. In 14 years working with a general, I never asked anything more than I had to ask\u2026 That\u2019s why I was relaxed, because my boss knew about this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This material belongs to: OCCRP. In Venezuela\u2019s prisons, the pran (gang boss), who gives pranato its name, is the supreme and unquestionable leader of the criminal structure. He manages all illegal trade, including arms and drug trafficking, and has an entourage at his disposal. He freely makes use of the assets and lives of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4568,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,3,38],"tags":[58,64,196,93,71,121,79,62,202,94,250,104,199,248,76,118,63,78,153],"class_list":["post-4637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mnenie-eksperta","category-review","category-investigation","tag-politiki","tag-antikorrupcionnaya-politika","tag-borba-s-kontrabandoj","tag-borba-s-korrupciej","tag-vzyatka","tag-vymogatelstvo","tag-gossluzhashhie","tag-korrupciya","tag-korrupciya-v-armii","tag-korrupciya-v-biznese","tag-korrupciya-v-zdravooxranenii","tag-korrupciya-v-politike","tag-korrupciya-v-policii","tag-korrupciya-v-prokurature","tag-moshennichestvo","tag-politicheskaya-korrupciya","tag-protivodejstvie-korrupcii","tag-chinovniki","tag-ekonomicheskaya-korrupciya","has-thumb"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ru","en"],"languages":{"ru":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"yoast_head":"\nGold and Chaos in Orinoco - Anticorr.media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gold and Chaos in Orinoco - Anticorr.media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Anticorr.media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/%d0%9c%d0%b5%d0%b6%d0%b4%d1%83%d0%bd%d0%b0%d1%80%d0%be%d0%b4%d0%bd%d1%8b%d0%b9-%d0%b0%d0%bd%d1%82%d0%b8%d0%ba%d0%be%d1%80%d1%80%d1%83%d0%bf%d1%86%d0%b8%d0%be%d0%bd%d0%bd%d1%8b%d0%b9-%d0%bf%d0%be%d1%80%d1%82%d0%b0%d0%bb-1862646897394802\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-26T16:59:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-09-29T07:41:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"red_2\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"red_2\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"17 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"red_2\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#\/schema\/person\/a8827721bdad5c20ca5f4d742ffe73cf\"},\"headline\":\"Gold and Chaos in Orinoco\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-26T16:59:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-09-29T07:41:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/\"},\"wordCount\":6357,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Politics\",\"\u0430\u043d\u0442\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u043e\u043d\u043d\u0430\u044f \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0430\",\"\u0431\u043e\u0440\u044c\u0431\u0430 \u0441 \u043a\u043e\u043d\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0431\u0430\u043d\u0434\u043e\u0439\",\"\u0431\u043e\u0440\u044c\u0431\u0430 \u0441 \u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u0435\u0439\",\"\u0432\u0437\u044f\u0442\u043a\u0430\",\"\u0432\u044b\u043c\u043e\u0433\u0430\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e\",\"\u0433\u043e\u0441\u0441\u043b\u0443\u0436\u0430\u0449\u0438\u0435\",\"\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f\",\"\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u0430\u0440\u043c\u0438\u0438\",\"\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u0431\u0438\u0437\u043d\u0435\u0441\u0435\",\"\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043e\u043e\u0445\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0438\",\"\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0435\",\"\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0446\u0438\u0438\",\"\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u043a\u0443\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0440\u0435\",\"\u043c\u043e\u0448\u0435\u043d\u043d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e\",\"\u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f\",\"\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0442\u0438\u0432\u043e\u0434\u0435\u0439\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0438\u0435 \u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u0438\",\"\u0447\u0438\u043d\u043e\u0432\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0438\",\"\u044d\u043a\u043e\u043d\u043e\u043c\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Expert opinion\",\"International review\",\"Investigation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/\",\"name\":\"Gold and Chaos in Orinoco - Anticorr.media\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-26T16:59:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-09-29T07:41:45+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2.jpg\",\"width\":1350,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"In Las Claritas, the sewage system has collapsed and raw sewage flows along the main street. Source: William Urdaneta.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Gold and Chaos in Orinoco\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/\",\"name\":\"Anticorr.media\",\"description\":\"International Anticorruption Media\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#organization\",\"name\":\"\u041e\u041e\u041e \\\"\u0410\u043d\u0442\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440-\u043c\u0435\u0434\u0438\u0430\\\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo_3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo_3.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"\u041e\u041e\u041e \\\"\u0410\u043d\u0442\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440-\u043c\u0435\u0434\u0438\u0430\\\"\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/\u041c\u0435\u0436\u0434\u0443\u043d\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0434\u043d\u044b\u0439-\u0430\u043d\u0442\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u043e\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0439-\u043f\u043e\u0440\u0442\u0430\u043b-1862646897394802\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#\/schema\/person\/a8827721bdad5c20ca5f4d742ffe73cf\",\"name\":\"red_2\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/68eb35b649227e0f686364cf69f03e796a94744fdb26b1178c6e9dcf78cd43ba?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/68eb35b649227e0f686364cf69f03e796a94744fdb26b1178c6e9dcf78cd43ba?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"red_2\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.anticorr.media\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gold and Chaos in Orinoco - Anticorr.media","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Gold and Chaos in Orinoco - Anticorr.media","og_url":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/","og_site_name":"Anticorr.media","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/%d0%9c%d0%b5%d0%b6%d0%b4%d1%83%d0%bd%d0%b0%d1%80%d0%be%d0%b4%d0%bd%d1%8b%d0%b9-%d0%b0%d0%bd%d1%82%d0%b8%d0%ba%d0%be%d1%80%d1%80%d1%83%d0%bf%d1%86%d0%b8%d0%be%d0%bd%d0%bd%d1%8b%d0%b9-%d0%bf%d0%be%d1%80%d1%82%d0%b0%d0%bb-1862646897394802\/","article_published_time":"2017-09-26T16:59:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-09-29T07:41:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1350,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"red_2","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"red_2","Est. reading time":"17 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/"},"author":{"name":"red_2","@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#\/schema\/person\/a8827721bdad5c20ca5f4d742ffe73cf"},"headline":"Gold and Chaos in Orinoco","datePublished":"2017-09-26T16:59:12+00:00","dateModified":"2017-09-29T07:41:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/"},"wordCount":6357,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2.jpg","keywords":["Politics","\u0430\u043d\u0442\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u043e\u043d\u043d\u0430\u044f \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0430","\u0431\u043e\u0440\u044c\u0431\u0430 \u0441 \u043a\u043e\u043d\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0431\u0430\u043d\u0434\u043e\u0439","\u0431\u043e\u0440\u044c\u0431\u0430 \u0441 \u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u0435\u0439","\u0432\u0437\u044f\u0442\u043a\u0430","\u0432\u044b\u043c\u043e\u0433\u0430\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e","\u0433\u043e\u0441\u0441\u043b\u0443\u0436\u0430\u0449\u0438\u0435","\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f","\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u0430\u0440\u043c\u0438\u0438","\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u0431\u0438\u0437\u043d\u0435\u0441\u0435","\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043e\u043e\u0445\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0438","\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0435","\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0446\u0438\u0438","\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f \u0432 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u043a\u0443\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0440\u0435","\u043c\u043e\u0448\u0435\u043d\u043d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e","\u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f","\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0442\u0438\u0432\u043e\u0434\u0435\u0439\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0438\u0435 \u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u0438","\u0447\u0438\u043d\u043e\u0432\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0438","\u044d\u043a\u043e\u043d\u043e\u043c\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u044f"],"articleSection":["Expert opinion","International review","Investigation"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/","url":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/","name":"Gold and Chaos in Orinoco - Anticorr.media","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2.jpg","datePublished":"2017-09-26T16:59:12+00:00","dateModified":"2017-09-29T07:41:45+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2.jpg","width":1350,"height":900,"caption":"In Las Claritas, the sewage system has collapsed and raw sewage flows along the main street. Source: William Urdaneta."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/zoloto-opg-i-korrupciya-venesuely-sovmestnoe-rassledovanie-efecto-cocuyo-i-occrp\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430","item":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gold and Chaos in Orinoco"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#website","url":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/","name":"Anticorr.media","description":"International Anticorruption Media","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#organization","name":"\u041e\u041e\u041e \"\u0410\u043d\u0442\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440-\u043c\u0435\u0434\u0438\u0430\"","url":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo_3.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo_3.jpg","width":1080,"height":1080,"caption":"\u041e\u041e\u041e \"\u0410\u043d\u0442\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440-\u043c\u0435\u0434\u0438\u0430\""},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/\u041c\u0435\u0436\u0434\u0443\u043d\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0434\u043d\u044b\u0439-\u0430\u043d\u0442\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0446\u0438\u043e\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0439-\u043f\u043e\u0440\u0442\u0430\u043b-1862646897394802\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#\/schema\/person\/a8827721bdad5c20ca5f4d742ffe73cf","name":"red_2","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/68eb35b649227e0f686364cf69f03e796a94744fdb26b1178c6e9dcf78cd43ba?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/68eb35b649227e0f686364cf69f03e796a94744fdb26b1178c6e9dcf78cd43ba?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"red_2"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.anticorr.media"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4637"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10375,"href":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4637\/revisions\/10375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}