The arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on January 3 marked an unprecedented escalation by the United States.
At the time, President Donald Trump characterized Maduro as the “kingpin of a vast criminal network”—the Cartel of the Suns—and linked him to Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, both designated as terrorist organizations by his administration.
Maduro governed what analysts describe as “a hybrid state,” where government functions and criminal activity became deeply intertwined. Criminal organizations operated as armed extensions of state power, suppressing opposition and enforcing authoritarian control in exchange for protection. Systemic corruption had infiltrated state institutions—often mislabeled as the Cartel of the Suns—transforming public governance into a mechanism for private enrichment.
Yet the question remains: how has Maduro’s removal affected criminal dynamics in Venezuela?
Surprisingly, the impact has been limited. The hybrid system largely persists, despite personnel changes at the top under interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who seeks to navigate between domestic regime interests and U.S. pressure. Rodríguez has collaborated with American authorities against Tren de Aragua and marginalized some of Maduro’s closest allies. However, routine operations of corruption, drug trafficking, and illegal mining continue largely unchanged.
