Tuesday, September 3, 2024 - The United States government has seized Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro’s airplane saying that its acquisition was in violation of US sanctions, among other criminal issues.
The US flew the aircraft from the Dominican
Republic to Florida on Monday, according to US officials.
The seizure of the aircraft in the
Dominican Republic marks an escalation of the frosty relationship between
Venezuela and the US as the Biden administration continues to investigate
allegedly corrupt practices by Venezuela’s government.
The plane was described by US officials as
Venezuela’s equivalent to Air Force One and it has been pictured in previous
state visits by Maduro around the world.
The plane, a Dassault Falcon 900, according
to flight records, is estimated to cost around $13 million and has been in the
Dominican Republic in recent months. US officials didn’t disclose why, but it
presented an opportunity for US officials to seize the aircraft.
“This sends
a message all the way up to the top,” one of the US officials told CNN.
“Seizing
the foreign head of state’s plane is unheard-of for criminal matters. We’re
sending a clear message here that no one is above the law, no one is above the
reach of US sanctions.”
For years, US officials tried to
disrupt the flow of billions of dollars to the Maduro regime. Homeland Security
Investigations has seized dozens of luxury vehicles, among other assets,
heading to Venezuela.
Multiple federal agencies were involved in
the seizure, including Homeland Security Investigations; Commerce agents, the
Bureau of Industry and Security; and the Justice Department.
US officials worked closely with the
Dominican Republic, which notified Venezuela of the seizure, according to one
of the US officials.
One of the next steps, upon arriving in the
US, will be pursuing forfeiture, meaning the Venezuelan government has a chance
to petition for it and collect evidence from the aircraft.
The US recently placed pressure on the
Venezuelan government to “immediately” release specific data regarding its
presidential election, citing concerns about the credibility of strongman
leader Maduro’s victory.
Earlier this year, the US reimposed
sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and gas sector in response to the Maduro
government’s failure to allow “an inclusive and competitive election” to take
place.
After the controversial reelection of
Maduro on July 28, Venezuela suspended commercial flights to and from the
Dominican Republic.
In March 2020, the US Department of Justice
charged Maduro, together with 14 current and former Venezuelan officials, with
narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and corruption.
“For more than 20 years, Maduro and a
number of high-ranking colleagues allegedly conspired with [Colombian left-wing
guerrillaa] the FARC, causing tons of cocaine to enter and devastate American
communities.,” then-Attorney General William Barr said at the time.
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