The U.S. government has seized an aircraft used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after authorities determined the purchase violated sanctions and export control laws, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said. Announced on Monday.
The Dassault Falcon 900EX was seized in the Dominican Republic on Monday morning and turned over to federal authorities in Florida, the Justice Department said in a statement.
“This morning, the Department of Justice seized an aircraft that was allegedly illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies,” Attorney General Merrick Garland wrote.
According to the Justice Department, the U.S. investigation has uncovered allegations that individuals linked to Maduro used shell companies based in the Caribbean to conceal their involvement in the illegal purchase of aircraft from a Florida-based company in late 2022 and early 2023. Authorities allege this was to circumvent a 2019 executive order banning Americans from doing business with the Maduro regime.
The plane was then illegally exported to Venezuela in April 2023 and has been used by President Maduro and his representatives to travel to and from Venezuela's military bases.
“The seizure of this aircraft marks another important action by Homeland Security Investigations as we work with our domestic and international partners to counter the Maduro regime's illicit activities,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations Miami.
First reported by CNN Airplane impoundment.
The seized plane was the same one that transported several Americans who had been imprisoned for years in Venezuela to the Caribbean island of Canouan in December in exchange for Alex Saab, a businessman and ally of President Maduro who was jailed in the United States on money laundering charges, the Associated Press reported.
The news agency said the plane was flown to the Dominican Republic for maintenance but never took off.
The US has imposed sanctions on 55 Venezuelan-flagged aircraft owned by state-run oil company PDVSA, according to the Associated Press.
The Venezuelan government's central press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Monday.
The announcement came about a month after Venezuela held a presidential election in which Maduro's electoral authorities declared him the winner without detailed results to back it up, with results showing opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez receiving nearly twice as many votes as Maduro.
The dispute has sparked mass protests across the country, but President Maduro and his allies continue to insist on claiming victory.
