Shafaq News/ The US has seized a plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, alleging it was purchased illegally for $13 million and smuggled out of the country.
According to the US Justice Department, the Falcon 900EX aircraft was seized in the Dominican Republic and subsequently transferred to Florida.
The exact details of how the plane ended up in the Dominican Republic remain unclear. Tracking data showed the aircraft left La Isabela airport near Santo Domingo on Monday and arrived at Fort Lauderdale airport shortly thereafter.
There has been no immediate response from President Maduro or the Venezuelan government regarding the seizure.
US officials stated that the plane was confiscated due to suspected violations of US export control and sanctions laws, revealing that an investigation uncovered that individuals affiliated with Maduro allegedly used a Caribbean-based shell company to conceal their involvement in the plane’s illegal purchase from a Florida-based company between late 2022 and early 2023. The aircraft was then illegally exported from the US to Venezuela via the Caribbean in April 2023.
The US claimed that the plane's sale and export violating US sanctions is unlikely to influence President Maduro, who has long accused the US of meddling in Venezuela’s internal affairs.
A White House National Security Council spokesperson described the seizure as "an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences of his misgovernance of Venezuela."
Markenzy Lapointe, US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, stated that Dominican Republic authorities provided the US government with "invaluable assistance" in coordinating the seizure. Matthew S. Axelrod from the Department of Commerce, which was involved in the operation, emphasized, “It doesn’t matter how fancy the private jet or how powerful the officials – we will work relentlessly with our partners here and across the globe to identify and return any aircraft illegally smuggled outside of the United States."
Furthermore, data from Flightradar24 indicated that after arriving in Kingston, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in April 2023, the plane appeared to have flown to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. US officials noted that it subsequently flew "almost exclusively to and from a military base in Venezuela." It remains unclear how and when the plane reached the Dominican Republic. They also stated that the jet had been used by Maduro "on visits to other countries."
In late July, the Venezuelan government declared a temporary suspension of commercial flights to the Dominican Republic and Panama following Maduro's controversial re-election.
Notably, this is not the first instance of US federal authorities targeting President Maduro or Venezuela's government for alleged corruption; in 2020, the Justice Department charged Maduro and 14 Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism, corruption, and drug trafficking, among other offenses, while the State Department has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information that could lead to Maduro’s arrest or conviction.