U.S. seizes Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s aircraft

The U.S. seized a aircraft belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and introduced it to the U.S. on Monday, the Justice Department mentioned in a press release, claiming the jet was exported from Florida in violation of U.S. sanctions.

The aircraft, recognized as a Dassault Falcon 900EX, was seized within the Dominican Republic and transported to Florida, the division mentioned.

“This morning, the Justice Department seized an plane we allege was illegally bought for $13 million by means of a shell firm and smuggled out of the United States to be used by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies,” Attorney General Merrick Garland mentioned. “The Department will proceed to pursue those that violate our sanctions and export controls to forestall them from utilizing American sources to undermine the nationwide safety of the United States.”

The division mentioned Maduro’s associates organized to buy the jet from a U.S. firm in south Florida for $13 million in late 2022 and early 2023. The aircraft was shipped to the Caribbean after which to Venezuela, the assertion mentioned, in violation of U.S. sanctions and export controls. 

Since then, the jet “has flown nearly completely to and from a army base in Venezuela and has been used for the good thing about Maduro and his representatives, together with to move Maduro on visits to different international locations,” in line with the division. Online flight data present a aircraft with the matching tail quantity at airports in China, Cuba and Brazil since 2023.

CNN first reported the seizure of Maduro’s aircraft.

In June, Maduro claimed victory in his presidential reelection marketing campaign, however the U.S. and different international locations have mentioned Maduro tampered with the outcomes. Last month, the U.S. acknowledged Maduro’s opponent, Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González, because the winner, rejecting the Venezuelan authorities’s declaration that Maduro had gained.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council mentioned the U.S. is “working to make sure that the desire of the Venezuelan individuals, as expressed by means of the July 28 election, is revered,” and known as the seizure of the aircraft “an essential step to make sure that Maduro continues to really feel the implications from his misgovernance of Venezuela.”

contributed to this report.