It has been almost a week since American forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from his compound in Caracas.
While the country has remained stable, some business owners in the Valley are already anticipating disruptions in merchandise.
"One of the best cacao in the world is from Venezuela," said Luis Rubio, the Venezuelan business owner of Salto Angel LLC in Tempe.
11 years ago, Rubio, along with his wife and young daughter, fled his homeland of Venezuela after a far-left armed paramilitary group there paid a hostile visit to their house, threatening his family.
"Because of my daughter — she was one year old at the moment or less — we took the decision to protect her life," said Rubio.
Rubio's wife, Elizely Salas, says she and her husband were shocked to see Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro captured and behind bars in New York.
She says she is both excited and fearful about what happens next.
"I'm happy about what's happening, but it's scary that he's doing what he's doing and that it might affect us, and I'm also afraid for my family who are there," said Salas, in Spanish.
The family now runs a small shop in Tempe selling snacks and products from Latin America, some of which are directly imported from countries like Venezuela and Colombia.
"Well, they are the primary source of income for my business," said Rubio.
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The recent events in South America, however, coupled with the potential for more US actions in the region, could disrupt the imports Rubio relies on for his few thousand customers in the Valley.
ASU Supply Chain Expert Hitendra Chaturvedi says he is not too worried about Arizona's overall economy if something happens.
Chaturvedi says Arizona does not import any grocery items from Venezuela, and we do not export too much to Venezuela. From Colombia, the largest import to Arizona is coffee beans, but things like fresh-cut flowers, bananas, avocados and limes are also included.
Chaturvedi says, so far, Venezuela and other South American countries seem to be stable, and if that continues, there would not be any impacts to the US economy, including Arizona.
But should things destabilize, the bigger impacts could center around mass migration and oil prices.
"If energy prices shoot up, they will be less worried about the price of the product, but they will be more worried about price of transporting the product from there to here," said Chaturvedi.
For his part, Rubio says if it were not for his daughter's safety, he would have stayed in Venezuela to fight for his country.
And despite the risks to his business now, he says he would not have it any other way.
"If the price that I have to pay to see my Venezuela free from those dictator guys over there is that I have to close my business, that's OK with me. I do it right away," said Rubio.
