Less than three months after the United States swiftly arrested former Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, public safety in Caracas, the capital once called the world's most murderous city, is visibly stabilizing.
Local and foreign media alike reported that the once-impossible-to-visit downtown after dark is buzzing again, with dramatic changes such as the influx of foreign capital.
On the 24th, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) described how the center of Caracas has changed since Maduro's arrest. Ten years ago, three people were killed every hour in Caracas, and street kidnappings were rampant at night in a lawless zone. After sunset, bars and parks were nearly empty. But now, locals said public squares brightly lit with floodlights are packed nightly with visiting families and residents out exercising. In former slums where gang leaders once ruled by force beyond the reach of law enforcement, guided tour programs have even sprung up.
International security experts said that even before Maduro's arrest, Venezuela's internal criminal ecosystem had already lost the ability to sustain itself and was slowly collapsing. In the past 12 years, more than 8 million people have left their homeland for abroad. Not only law-abiding citizens crossed the border; many members of violent groups seeking criminal proceeds also joined the exodus. As Venezuela's economy shrank sharply, the monetary gains from crimes such as robbery, kidnapping, and extortion dried up.
With their cash flows completely cut off, Venezuelan gang members moved their criminal bases to other major cities such as New York in the United States, Bogotá in Colombia, and Santiago in Chile in search of a livelihood. Even in Chilean politics, far removed though still in South America, fear over crimes linked to Venezuelan migrant gangs stirred voters so intensely that candidate José Antonio Kast won the presidential election.
As key operatives skilled at planning large-scale crimes left en masse for overseas, only marginal subordinate groups remained in Caracas. Under the Maduro regime, they maintained a toehold by ruthlessly committing various illegal acts such as street robbery and extortion.
But after Maduro's arrest, the situation changed this year as the United States stepped in. Washington told the pro-U.S. interim government of Delcy Rodríguez that to attract foreign investment, it must "maintain order and ensure the safety of investment and business activities." Under U.S. Treasury general license guidance, U.S. corporations may conduct on-site security services, site inspections, and logistics and port preparations in order to transact Venezuelan crude oil and petrochemical products. For Venezuela to sell crude to U.S. corporations, it must first secure physical safety for foreign companies to work on the ground, contract stability, and access to ports and infrastructure.
The Venezuela interim government viewed public safety as a precondition for attracting investment and accelerated efforts to tighten control. It revamped the security architecture around the military and counterintelligence command to replace an ineffectual police. As the interim government strengthened its grip on security agencies, the remaining subordinate groups in Caracas lost further ground. At the same time, authorities said they would convert detention facilities—once symbols of fear in Caracas—into social service centers, pairing control with easing measures.
It also pledged to guarantee on-site safety for foreign mining and energy corporations. Earlier this month, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said after visiting Caracas that "the Venezuela interim government promised to guarantee the safety of mining companies."
However, in the southern and western outskirts of Venezuela, where central government control does not fully reach, drug-trafficking cartels and illegal gold-mining groups still maintain strong influence. There is also a standing risk that if U.S.-led economic sanctions are lifted and massive oil money flows back in, criminals who left for overseas will return in large numbers.