The United States has seized an airplane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in the Dominican Republic. The plane was flown to Florida on Monday, according to two U.S. officials.
US has seized an airplane used by Nicolás Maduro, leader of Venezuela. Justice Dept. said the plane had been bought from Florida in violation of sanctions. It was sitting in the Dominican Republic for maintenance, and is now back in Florida. Story: https://t.co/PRz4xBJbuY
— Edward Wong (@ewong) September 2, 2024
The Justice Department alleges that the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft, valued at approximately $13 million, was illegally purchased through a shell company and smuggled out of the U.S. in violation of sanctions and export controls.
The plane was bought from a company in Florida.
The U.S. seized a plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and brought it to the U.S. on Monday, the Justice Department said in a statement, claiming the jet was exported from Florida in violation of U.S. sanctions.https://t.co/MpPeeY209R
— Wladimir van Wilgenburg (@vvanwilgenburg) September 3, 2024
Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, “The Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies.”
The aircraft, described as Venezuela’s equivalent to Air Force One, has been used by President Maduro for international travels.
United States has a plane Nicolas Maduro uses in custody | Miami Herald https://t.co/24USK5et1P
— Jacqueline Charles (@Jacquiecharles) September 2, 2024
Since May 2023, the plane has flown almost exclusively to and from a military base in Venezuela and has been used to transport Maduro on visits to other countries.
Good day @BBCBreaking … does the seized plane 'belong to Venezuelan President Maduro', as story says, or is it owned by the Venezuelan government and used by its president, like 'Air Force One' is owned by the US government and used by its president?https://t.co/cAGjiyTLHz
— Marcus Strom (@strom_m) September 2, 2024
The seizure involved multiple U.S. federal agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Commerce agents, the Bureau of Industry and Security, and the Justice Department.
Maduro’s airplane seized in Florida
Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge of HSI, acknowledged that the plane was seized in violation of U.S. sanctions with Venezuela.
The Venezuelan government labeled the seizure as “piracy” in a statement and accused Washington of escalating aggression toward Maduro’s government, especially following a contentious presidential election in July. The statement emphasized that the U.S., by seizing the aircraft, imposed coercive and illegal measures globally. The U.S. seizure is part of a broader effort to disrupt financial flows to the Venezuelan regime.
For years, U.S. authorities have targeted the illicit wealth of the Venezuelan government, resulting in the seizure of luxury assets including vehicles. The U.S. reimposed sanctions on Venezuela earlier this year after criticizing the lack of an inclusive and competitive election process. Claims have surfaced indicating that the Venezuelan opposition may have won the election, conflicting with Maduro’s declared victory.
The economic conditions in Venezuela continue to be dire, with widespread poverty, food shortages, and limited access to health care prompting more than 7.7 million people to flee the country, resulting in the largest displacement crisis in the Western Hemisphere.
- CNN.”Exclusive: US seizes Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro’s airplane in the Dominican Republic”.
- FoxNews.”US seizes Venezuelan leader Maduro’s plane in the Dominican Republic”.
- NPR.”The U.S. has seized Venezuelan President Maduro’s plane”.