The Venezuelan dictator, Nicolas Maduro, was ousted from his leadership role in a precision military and law enforcement action by the United States that rocked the world this weekend. While it was in the planning stages for many months, and Maduoro was given many opportunities to depart on his own and live in exile, he is now poised to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Good riddance.
While it was a pretty simple bet that Maduro was going to be exited one way or another, it appears that one trader on Polymarket may have the ability to see around corners.
Joe “Pomp” Pompliano, a well-known crypto advocate and entrepreneur, shared on X yesterday that one Polymarket account bet $30,000 on Maduro’s departure and then made $400,000 as the military, including the elite Delta Force, removed the despot from his home country.
The bet was that Maduro would be gone by January 31st. Betting for this event was a good decision.
Pomp notes that “insider trading is not only allowed on prediction markets; it’s encouraged.”
Whether it was luck, intuition, or knowledge others may not have had, it was pretty obvious what the Trump administration was gearing up to do. You do not move half the US Navy and park it off a rogue state just to hang out and observe.
It would be surprising if anything other than a big windfall comes of this bet. Anyway, Venezuelans around the world are celebrating in the streets as they can expect an improvement in the country from the current socialist narcoterrorist state that impoverished the once wealthy nation. Maybe someone in Venezuela is $400,0000 richer.
A newly created Polymarket account invested over $30,000 yesterday in Maduro’s exit. The US then took Maduro into custody overnight, and the trader profited $400,000 in less than 24 hours. Insider trading is not only allowed on prediction markets; it’s encouraged. https://t.co/EtZyW1IWTa pic.twitter.com/MzsU9kOU73
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) January 3, 2026