The United States government has taken possession of an aircraft connected to Nicolás Maduro, the proclaimed president of Venezuela. This action follows the aircraft’s seizure in the Dominican Republic and its subsequent transfer to the Southern District of Florida. The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed the aircraft, identified as a Dassault Falcon 900EX and valued at $13 million at the time of purchase, was trafficked out of the United States under illegal circumstances. The DOJ stated that the aircraft was purchased through a shell company and utilized by Maduro and his associates, a violation of established export controls and sanctions. More information on these legal frameworks can be found on the Department of Justice’s export control and sanctions page.
The seizure coincides with ongoing tensions around U.S. sanctions on Venezuela. Former President Donald Trump had signed Executive Order 13884, which prohibits the transfer of property in the U.S. to officials of the Venezuelan government. U.S. Department of Commerce’s Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement, Matthew Axelrod, emphasized that this action sends a clear message that illegally-acquired aircraft cannot be used to benefit sanctioned Venezuelan officials.
Notably, this development comes shortly after Venezuelan diplomats met with members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) to denounce U.S. economic measures as human rights violations. Venezuelan ambassador to Bolivia, César Trómpiz, accused the U.S. of using economic sanctions to control Venezuela’s oil reserves and to counteract the influence of the BRICS alliance, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. For further details, visit the original report on JURIST.