Maduro’s Bid to Fly Gold Out of Venezuela Is Blocked

The embattled Nicolas Maduro regime halted plans to ship 20 tons of Venezuelan gold overseas as a growing international push to ring-fence the country’s dwindling hard assets unnerved those handling the transaction, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The gold bars, which are worth about $850 million, had been weighed and separated in the central bank’s vaults for transportation, but will not be sent out anytime soon, the person said. The bank has suddenly transformed into a microcosm of the crisis: Some staffers, fearful of getting ensnared in U.S. sanctions and worn down by the crippling economic collapse, have begun to disregard orders, prompting senior managers loyal to Maduro to oust them.