US seizes Venezuelan President Maduro’s plane The US has seized a plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, claiming it was bought illegally for $13m (£9.8m) and smuggled out of the country.
According to the US justice department, the Falcon 900EX aircraft was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the US state of Florida.
It is unclear how and when the plane ended up in the Dominican Republic.
Markenzy Lapointe, US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said the Dominican Republic authorities had given the US government “invaluable assistance” in organising the seizure.
It is unclear how and when the plane arrived in the Dominican Republic.
But US officials said the jet had been used by Mr Maduro “on visits to other countries”.
The Venezuelan government announced in late July that it was temporarily suspending commercial flights to both the Dominican Republic and Panama following the controversial re-election of Mr Maduro.
However, his win has not been recognised by an electoral council loyal to Mr Maduro.
This is not the first time Mr Maduro or Venezuela’s government have been targeted by US federal authorities over alleged corruption.
In 2020, the justice department charged Mr Maduro and 14 Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism, corruption, and drug trafficking, among other charges.
The US seizes President Maduro’s aircraft from Venezuela.
Asserting that it was purchased unlawfully for $13 million (£9.8 million) and smuggled out of the nation, the US has confiscated Nicolás Maduro’s plane.
The Falcon 900EX aircraft was taken into custody in the Dominican Republic and then moved to the US state of Florida, as stated by the US Department of Justice.
When and how the aircraft arrived in the Dominican Republic are unknown. According to tracking data, it departed on Monday from La Isabela airport, which is close to Santo Domingo’s capital, and arrived at Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida shortly after.
Venezuela has protested the seizure, calling it “piracy.”.
The United States has justified itself, according to Foreign Minister Yván Gil, “with the coercive measures that they unilaterally and illegally impose around the world.”.
The Venezuelan government claimed in a statement that it “reserves the right to take any legal action to repair this damage to the nation.”.
According to US officials, the plane was taken into custody due to possible violations of export control and sanctions laws in the US.
The investigation, they continued, revealed that individuals connected to Mr. Maduro had allegedly concealed their role in the plane’s illicit acquisition from a Florida-based company in late 2022 and early 2023 by using a shell company with operations in the Caribbean.
In April 2023, the aircraft was then forcibly exported from the United States to Venezuela via the Caribbean.
President Maduro, who has frequently accused the US of meddling in his nation’s internal affairs, is unlikely to give much credence to the US officials’ claim that the plane’s sale and export violated US sanctions.
“An important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences from his misgovernance of Venezuela,” according to a White House National Security Council spokesperson, described the action.
The Dominican Republic’s authorities provided the US government with “invaluable assistance” in organizing the seizure, according to Markenzy Lapointe, the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
According to Matthew S. Axelrod of the Department of Commerce, one of the federal agencies involved in the plane recovery operation, “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,” regardless of how fancy the private jet or powerful the officials.
Based on information from the Flightradar24 website, the aircraft appeared to have been flown to the capital city of Caracas, Venezuela, after landing in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in April 2023.
It then flew “almost exclusively to and from a military base in Venezuela,” according to US officials. How and when the aircraft landed in the Dominican Republic are unknown.
However, US officials claimed that Mr. Maduro had utilized the aircraft “on visits to other countries.”.
Following Mr. Maduro’s contentious reelection, the Venezuelan government declared in late July that it was temporarily suspending commercial flights to both the Dominican Republic and Panama.
According to polling data that the opposition in Venezuela has released, Edmundo González, its candidate for unity, appears to have won handily. However, an electoral council that supports Mr. Maduro has refused to acknowledge his victory.
Without seeing the voting results, the European Union has refused to acknowledge Maduro’s victory in the July reelection.
A number of Latin American nations have also withdrawn their support, with President Lula of Brazil—a former ally of Mr. Maduro—among those demanding complete transparency from the Venezuelan government.
Since there is “overwhelming” evidence of Maduro’s defeat, the US has declared Mr. González the winner.
The US federal authorities have previously targeted Mr. Maduro and the Venezuelan government for alleged corruption.
The Justice Department accused Mr. Maduro and fourteen other Venezuelan officials in 2020 of trafficking in drugs, narcoterrorism, and corruption, among other offenses.
A $15 million reward, up to and including Mr. Maduro’s arrest or conviction, has been extended by the state department.
