In Las Claritas, the heart of Venezuela’s mining region, cracks began to appear in the alliance between organized crime, political power, and security forces. A military operation targeting mines controlled by illegal armed groups, followed by the U.S. announcement of the alleged killing of Tren de Aragua leader “Niño Guerrero,” signals an attempt to reconfigure power in southern Venezuela, a strategic region due to its vast gold reserves and its role in the new negotiations between Caracas and Washington.