The United States has seized Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro’s airplane after determining that its acquisition was in violation of US sanctions, among other criminal issues.
The US flew the aircraft to Florida on Monday, according to two US officials.
It’s the latest development in what has long been a frosty relationship between the US and Venezuela, and its 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 has been described by officials as Venezuela’s equivalent to Air Force One and it has been pictured in previous state visits by Maduro around the world.
“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,” he added.
In a statement, Attorney General Merrick Garland said that “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.”
The plane was purchased from a company in Florida, the Justice Department said, and was illegally exported in April 2023 from the United States to Venezuela through the Caribbean.
The plane, which is 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.
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The situation in Venezuela has had implications for US politics as millions flee the country, many of whom have chosen to migrate to the US-Mexico border.
For years, US officials have sought to disrupt the flow of billions of dollars to the regime. Homeland Security Investigations — the second largest investigative agency in the federal government — has seized dozens of luxury vehicles, among other assets, heading to Venezuela.
“The plane was seized in violation of US sanctions with Venezuela and other criminal matters that we’re still looking at regarding this aircraft,” Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations told CNN.
A high-ranking official from the Dominican Republic said that Maduro’s aircraft had been in Dominican territory undergoing maintenance at the time it was seized by US authorities. The source added that the government had no record that Maduro’s private plane was 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.
One of the next steps, upon arriving to the US, will be pursuing forfeiture, meaning the Venezuelan government has a chance to petition for it, and collecting 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.
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