US seizes Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s airplane

The United States has seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s airplane, claiming its acquisition violated US sanctions, among other criminal concerns. The US flew the aircraft to Florida on Monday, according to two US officials.

This is the latest development in the strained relationship between the US and Venezuela. The seizure in the Dominican Republic marks an escalation as the US continues to investigate what it regards as corrupt practices by Venezuela’s government.

The plane, described by officials as Venezuela’s equivalent to Air Force One, has been seen in previous state visits by Maduro around the world.

“This sends a message all the way up to the top,” one US official told CNN. “Seizing a 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 beyond the reach of US sanctions.”

In a statement, Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “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 associates.”

The plane was purchased from a company in Florida, according to the Justice Department, and was illegally exported in April 2023 from the United States to Venezuela via the Caribbean.

The aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 900EX, has since been used to fly “almost exclusively to and from a military base in Venezuela,” the Justice Department said, and has been used for Maduro’s international travels.

CNN has reached out to the Venezuelan Government and the US State Department for comment.

The situation in Venezuela has had implications for US politics as millions flee the country, with many migrating to the US-Mexico border.

For years, US officials have sought to disrupt the flow of billions of dollars to the Maduro regime. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) — the second-largest investigative agency in the federal government — has seized dozens of luxury vehicles and other assets destined for Venezuela.

“The plane was seized due to violations of US sanctions against Venezuela and other criminal matters that we’re still investigating,” Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, told CNN.

A high-ranking official from the Dominican Republic told CNN that Maduro’s aircraft was in Dominican territory for maintenance at the time it was seized by US authorities. The source added that the government had no record of Maduro’s private plane being in the country until it was seized.

US officials worked closely with the Dominican Republic, which notified Venezuela of the seizure, according to one of the US officials.

Multiple federal agencies were involved in the seizure, including Homeland Security Investigations, Commerce agents, the Bureau of Industry and Security, and the Justice Department.

Upon arrival in the US, one of the next steps will be pursuing forfeiture, meaning the Venezuelan government has the opportunity to petition for the aircraft, and collecting evidence from it.

The US recently pressured the Venezuelan government to “immediately” release specific data regarding its presidential election, citing concerns about the credibility of 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 re-election of Maduro on July 28, Venezuela suspended commercial flights to and from the Dominican Republic.

Federal agencies, including HSI, have long pursued the Venezuelan government over corruption concerns. In recent years, HSI has disrupted $2 billion worth of the Venezuelan government’s illicit proceeds or resources, including judgments, seizures, and liquidation of bank accounts, according to one US official.

In March 2020, the US Department of Justice charged Maduro, along with 14 current and former Venezuelan officials, with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and corruption.

“For more than 20 years, Maduro and several high-ranking colleagues allegedly conspired with the Colombian left-wing guerrilla group FARC, causing tons of cocaine to enter and devastate American communities,” then-Attorney General William Barr said at the time.

The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction.

In 2017, two nephews of Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, were sentenced to 18 years in prison by a federal court in New York City for attempting to smuggle up to 800 kilograms of cocaine

Credit: CNN