US says it seizes plane of Venezuelan leader Maduro, citing sanctions violations | Nicolas Maduro News

The Justice Department says a $13 million plane purchased through a shell company was “smuggled” out of the U.S. for use by Maduro.

US authorities say they have seized a $13 million plane believed to have been purchased for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in violation of sanctions.

The Dassault Falcon 900EX was seized in the Dominican Republic on Monday and taken to the U.S. state of Florida, the U.S. Justice Department said. Maduro was not on board. The seizure comes as the U.S. has increased pressure on Maduro’s government following disputed elections in July.

In a statement, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the plane was “purchased illegally … through a front company and smuggled out of the United States.”

Such a transaction would violate sanctions imposed by Washington in 2019, which prohibit U.S. citizens from selling goods to individuals acting directly or indirectly on behalf of Maduro’s government.

“The Department will continue to prosecute those who violate our sanctions and export controls to prevent them from using U.S. assets to undermine the national security of the United States,” Garland said in a statement.

Matthew Axelrod, the Commerce Department’s deputy secretary for export enforcement, added: “No matter how luxurious the private jet or how powerful the officials — we will work tirelessly with our partners here and around the world to identify and return any aircraft that have been illegally smuggled outside the United States.”

Authorities said the plane was purchased from a Florida company by a Caribbean shell company in late 2022 and early 2023 to circumvent sanctions.

They said the plane had flown “almost exclusively” to and from a military base in Venezuela and had been used to transport Maduro on foreign visits.

Contested elections

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Venezuelan individuals and entities since 2005, but the administration of former President Donald Trump significantly expanded the program in an effort to destabilize Maduro, who succeeded socialist President Hugo Chavez when he died in 2013.

The government’s sanctions and economic mismanagement are accused of worsening the country’s economic and humanitarian crises while fueling mass migration from the Latin American country.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has eased some sanctions to encourage Maduro to hold free and fair elections this year.

However, many of these sanctions were quickly reimposed after repeated allegations of violations.

Maduro later claimed victory in the July 28 elections, despite allegations of widespread fraud by the opposition.

Regional leaders and organisations have raised doubts about the outcome, while the European Union has rejected the results.

Washington went one step further and recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner.

At least 27 people have died and 192 injured during weeks of protests in the country.

A spokesman for the White House National Security Council told reporters on Monday that the seizure of the plane was directly related to the election.

“Maduro and his representatives manipulated the results of the July 28 presidential election, falsely claimed victory and carried out widespread repression to remain in power through violence,” the spokesman said.

The seizure of the plane “is an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences of his misrule in Venezuela,” the spokesman added.

Maduro’s government has not yet publicly commented on the incident.

However, he has repeatedly criticized the US role in Venezuela and said after the election that he would call for a “new revolution” if forced to do so by “North American imperialism and fascist criminals.”