At the center of it all stands Nicolás Maduro, a former bus driver turned president who inherited Hugo Chávez's socialist dream and turned it into a personal fortune. While millions of Venezuelans struggled to survive, Maduro and his inner circle looted the country's oil revenues, siphoning billions through state contracts, offshore accounts, and gold smuggling rings.
Behind the populist speeches and manufactured elections lies a regime sustained by corruption and fear. The Venezuelan oil company PDVSA became a money-laundering machine, the military turned into a narcotics network, and government programs for the poor became fronts for bribes and propaganda. International investigations have tied Maduro's allies to drug trafficking, illegal mining, and stolen humanitarian aid all while opposition leaders are imprisoned or forced into exile.

This episode exposes how one man's greed and the machinery of state corruption brought a once-prosperous nation to its knees. From Caracas to Havana and beyond, Maduro's influence stretches through shadowy deals, propaganda, and political terror. The story of Venezuela under Maduro is not just a tale of economic ruin but of a democracy that died in plain sight.
Written and hosted by Colin D. Heaton. Forgotten History is a 10th Legion Pictures Production.