This week, Nicolás Maduro will begin a controversial third term as president of Venezuela following an election marked by fraud, widespread repression, and attacks on civil society. InSight Crime explored how another six-year term of Maduro in power will shape Venezuela's role as a regional crime hub.

Venezuela will also present an early foreign policy test for President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office later this month. We analyzed how the future administration may attempt to manage relations with Venezuela, and also examined the potential impacts of Trump’s return to power on criminal dynamics in Latin America. 

And as our data team starts tallying 2024’s complete criminal metrics, we outlined five indicators to watch in 2025. 

This and more below.

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Maduro Inauguration to Consolidate Criminal Regime in Venezuela

After what appeared to be a stolen election, Nicolás Maduro today assumes another six-year mandate as Venezuela’s president. Heading a regime that regulates illegal economies, relying on criminal rents and partners to stay afloat, Maduro will solidify Venezuela’s position as a regional crime hub.

On the streets of Caracas, security forces were omnipresent. The tension was palpable in the Venezuelan capital. Since July 28, when Maduro claimed victory despite opposition counts from voting machines showing a landslide victory for Edmundo González, Maduro has imposed a relentless wave of repression.

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InSight Crime invites you to join our Criminal GameChangers virtual panel, where our co-directors and experienced field investigators will discuss the shifts in the region’s criminal landscape that defined 2024, and look ahead to what this means for 2025. The event is at 1:00 p.m (Colombian Time UTC-5), and is open to all who make a donation of $10 or more to InSight Crime. 

The tumult caused by organized crime increased in 2024 and criminal groups started the year emboldened by booming illicit economies. Cocaine production hit new highs and trafficking networks became more resilient. Meanwhile, a spike in the price of gold caused illegal mining to flourish, and criminal groups cashed in on strong international migrant flows.

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Read our GameChangers 2024 series >

This Week's Criminal Profile: 5 Seconds

Gang violence in Haiti killed over 5,600 people in 2024, according to the latest estimate from the United Nations. The final months of the year were marked by repeated massacres, and on Christmas Eve, gang members attacked the country’s main public hospital. 

The Kenyan-led multinational security force has so far been unable to arrest the country’s deteriorating security situation and faces fierce resistance from a kaleidoscope of well-armed criminal structures. 5 Seconds is one of the country’s most powerful and brutal criminal groups. Their participation in drug and arms trafficking has helped fund their formidable firepower.

Trending: Maduro Continues in Power

The continuation of Nicolás Maduro’s rule in Venezuela will likely mark the further consolidation of the country’s hybrid criminal state. Under Maduro, the government has increasingly relied on criminal economies for state revenue, and criminal groups are frequently used as a tool for political repression, as our previous coverage explores. 

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