Exclusive: US takes possession of Venezuela The aircraft of President Nicolas Maduro visited the Dominican Republic
The US has taken President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela's aircraft after concluding that, among other illegal matters, the purchase had violated US sanctions. Two US officials claim that the aircraft was flown to Florida by the US on Monday.
The discovery of the device in the Dominican Republic represents an intensification of the US's ongoing investigation into what it views as corrupt actions by Venezuela's administration. This is the most recent move in the long-running tense relationship between the US and Venezuela.
Officials have compared the aircraft to Venezuela's version of Air Force One, and Maduro has seen it in photos from prior state visits throughout the globe.
A US official told CNN, "This sends a message all the way up to the top." It is unprecedented for the jet of a foreign head of state to be seized for criminal purposes. Here, we are making it quite evident that nobody is beyond the law or the US sanctions.
"The airplane that we believe was unlawfully bought for $13 million through a shell corporation and smuggled out of the country for use by Nicolás Maduro was confiscated by the Justice Department. and his cronies," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
According to the Justice Department, the aircraft was bought from a Florida-based corporation and was unlawfully transported to Venezuela via the Caribbean in April 2023.
Since then, the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft has been utilized for Maduro's foreign visits and has flown "nearly exclusively to and from a military base in Venezuela," according to the Justice Department.
CNN has requested comments from the US Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and the Venezuelan government.
As millions of people abandon Venezuela, many of them opt to move to the US-Mexico border, the situation there has had an impact on US politics.
US authorities have been trying to stop billions of dollars from going to the dictatorship for years. Among other things, Homeland Security Investigations, the second-biggest investigative branch of the federal government, has intercepted several high-end cars that were being transported to Venezuela.
The aircraft had spent the previous few months in the Dominican Republic. Although US officials withheld the reason, it gave them a chance to confiscate the aircraft.
The seizure involves many federal agencies, including the Justice Department, Commerce agents, the Bureau of Industry and Security, and Homeland Security Investigations.
According to one of the US sources, the US collaborated closely with the Dominican Republic, which informed Venezuela about the seizure.
Once in the US, one of the next steps will be to gather evidence from the airplane and pursue forfeiture, which the Venezuelan government can request.
Concerning the legitimacy of strongman leader Maduro's win, the US recently put pressure on the Venezuelan government to "immediately" provide precise facts on the country's presidential election.
Because the Maduro regime will not permit "an inclusive and competitive election," the US reimposed sanctions on Venezuela's oil and gas industry earlier this year.
Following Maduro's contentious reelection on July 28, Venezuela halted international travel to and from the Dominican Republic.
For a long time, HSI and other federal agencies have been pursuing the Venezuelan administration due to allegations of corruption. According to one of the US officials, HSI has interfered with $2 billion worth of the illegal gains or resources used by the Venezuelan government in recent years through judgments, bank account liquidations, and seizures.
The US Department of Justice filed charges of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and corruption against Maduro and fourteen other current and former Venezuelan leaders in March 2020.
Attorney General William Barr at the time declared, "Maduro and several high-ranking associates allegedly plotted with [Colombian left-wing guerrilla group] the FARC for more than 20 years, causing tons of cocaine to enter and destroy American communities.""
Up to $15 million in rewards are being offered by the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs for information that results in Maduro's apprehension or conviction.
A federal court in New York City sentenced two nephews of Maduro's wife Cilia Flores to eighty years in jail in 2017 for attempting to smuggle up to eight hundred kg of cocaine into the country aboard a private plane; the two were eventually freed by the United States in a prisoners' exchange in 2022.
The US official stated, "We see these officials and the Maduro regime basically fleeing the Venezuelan people for their own gain." "There are people there who can't even afford a loaf of bread, and the president of Venezuela is traveling in a luxurious private jet."
Venezuela has seen the greatest displacement in the Western Hemisphere, with over 7.7 million people fleeing the country due to dire economic conditions, food shortages, and restricted access to healthcare.
