US Seizes Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro’s Airplane

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 900EX private jet, was seized by US law enforcement officials seen in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Monday as pictured above.  The airplane was captured in the Dominican Republic, but unfortunately for the world, Maduro was not in it.  “Since May 2023, the Dassault Falcon, bearing tail number T7-ESPRT, has flown almost exclusively to and from a military base in Venezuela and has been used for the benefit of Maduro and his representatives, including to transport Maduro on visits to other countries.” The big picture is below. It was seized after determining that its acquisition was in violation of US sanctions, among other criminal issues.  A spokesperson said that over the past month, “as demonstrated by a wide variety of independent sources, Maduro and his representatives’ have tampered with the results of the July 28 presidential election, falsely claimed victory, and carried out wide-spread repression to maintain power by force.” Venezuela’s own National Electoral Council rectors last week “further validated that Maduro has provided no evidence that he won this election,” adding that the U.S. and partners were “working to ensure that the will of the Venezuelan people, as expressed through the July 28 election, is respected.” 

The plane was seized in the Dominican Republic because the DOJ alleges that it 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,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.  Maduro’s government in a Monday statement said the seizure was “piracy” and an act of U.S. “aggression” over the country’s disputed presidential election that the Venezuelan leader claimed he won in July.  The DOJ alleged in a statement that Maduro associates in late 2022 and early 2023 “used a Caribbean-based shell company to conceal their involvement in the illegal purchase of the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft” from a company based in the Southern District of Florida.  “The aircraft was then illegally exported from the United States to Venezuela through the Caribbean in April 2023,” it added.

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.  Garland said the DOJ “will continue to pursue those who violate US sanctions and export controls to prevent them from using American resources to undermine the national security of the United States.”  A White House National Security Council spokesperson in a statement shared with outlets including Newsroom Panama, called the plane seizure “an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences from his mis-governance of Venezuela.”