US Seizes Venezuelan President Maduro’s Jet Over Sanctions Violation, Flies it to Florida

The US government has seized a plane owned by Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, citing violations of US sanctions. Officials report the plane, purchased for $13 million through a shell company, was illegally exported. The seizure is part of ongoing pressure on Maduro regarding election results.

The United States government has seized an airplane belonging to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and transported it to Florida, citing violations of US sanctions, the New York Times reported, citing the US Justice Department. The Biden administration aims to increase pressure on Maduro over alleged attempts to undermine the recent presidential election results, White House officials said.

The Justice Department announced the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX, owned and operated by Maduro and his associates, which had been brought to the Dominican Republic for maintenance. The plane, purchased in the US for $13 million through a shell company, was 'smuggled' out of the country for use by Maduro, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated. The Homeland Security and Commerce Departments aided the Justice Department in the operation, according to the NYT.

'Let this seizure send a clear message: Aircraft illegally acquired from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan officials cannot just fly off into the sunset,' Commerce Department official Matthew S. Axelrod said in a written statement. The Biden administration has accused Maduro of attempting to stay in power through illegitimate means, rejecting evidence that he lost the July 28 presidential election to Edmundo Gonzalez.

On August 1, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the US recognition of Gonzalez as the winner. In response, a Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez, accusing him of conspiracy and other charges.

Maduro has long accused the US of exerting imperial power, particularly in the Western Hemisphere. The US Justice Department discovered that in late 2022 and early 2023, individuals linked to Maduro used a Caribbean-based shell company to purchase the plane from a Florida company and illegally export it. Since May 2023, the aircraft, with tail number T7-ESPRT, has been primarily used at a Venezuelan military base and for Maduro's international travel.

Dominican authorities assisted in the seizure at Dr. Joaquin Balaguer International Airport. The Justice Department asserted that the sale and export of the plane violated an executive order signed by President Trump in 2019 and breached Commerce Department export controls.

(With inputs from agencies.)