The U.S. has seized a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and transported it from the Dominican Republic to Florida, citing an alleged violation of U.S. sanctions, the Justice Department announced Monday, as Caracas called it "piracy."
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft was allegedly illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the U.S. "for use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies."
"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," said Matthew Axelrod, the U.S. Commerce Department's Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement.
U.S. officials said the seizure, which was first reported by CNN, was carried out working closely with the Dominican Republic.
Venezuela's government slammed the seizure as "piracy" by U.S. authorities.
"Once again, the authorities of the United States of America are engaged in a criminal practice that cannot be described as anything other than piracy," the foreign ministry in Caracas said in a statement.
A Justice Department investigation showed that in late 2022 and early 2023 "persons affiliated with Maduro allegedly used a Caribbean-based shell company to conceal their involvement in the illegal purchase of the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft."
The plane was then illegally exported from the United States to Venezuela through the Caribbean last year and since then has flown to and from a Venezuelan military base and been used "for the benefit of Maduro and his representatives, including to transport Maduro on visits to other countries," the Justice Department said.
