The U.S. seized a plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and brought it to the U.S. on Monday, the Justice Department said in a statement, claiming the jet was exported from Florida in violation of U.S. sanctions.
The plane, identified as a Dassault Falcon 900EX, was seized in the Dominican Republic and transported to Florida, the department said.
“This morning, 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 cronies,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said. “The Department will continue to pursue those who violate our sanctions and export controls to prevent them from using American resources to undermine the national security of the United States.”
The department said Maduro’s associates arranged to purchase the jet from a U.S. company in south Florida in late 2022 and early 2023. The plane, worth about $13 million, was shipped to the Caribbean and then Venezuela, the statement said, in violation of U.S. sanctions. Since then, the jet “has flown almost exclusively to and from a military base in Venezuela and has been used for the benefit of Maduro and his representatives, including to transport Maduro on visits to other countries,” according to the department.
CNN first reported the seizure of Maduro’s plane.
In June, Maduro claimed victory in his presidential reelection campaign, but the U.S. and other countries have said Maduro tampered with the results. Last month, the U.S. recognized Maduro’s opponent, Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González, as the winner, rejecting the Venezuelan government’s declaration that Maduro had won.
A spokesperson for the National Security Council said the U.S. is “working to ensure that the will of the Venezuelan people, as expressed through the July 28 election, is respected,” and called the seizure of the plane “an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences from his misgovernance of Venezuela.”