The US seized the airplane, a Falcon 900EX, of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro while it was in the Dominican Republic.
The airplane, the “Air Force One” of Venezuela, was seized for Maduro’s violations of US sanctions.
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Maduro was not on the $13 million plane, which is now in Florida as US officials scour it for intelligence.
The US has charged Maduro with drug trafficking.
“Seizing the foreign head of state’s plane is unheard-of for criminal matters. We’re sending a clear message here that no one is above the law, no one is above the reach of US sanctions,” an unnamed Washington official told CNN, which first reported the story on Monday.
We have wide open borders. Maduro has allegedly allowed an army of criminal Venezuelans to go from prison to the US. His people are inside the gates.
What is the administration up to?
US officials said the plane was seized for suspected US export control and sanctions laws violations.
They added that an investigation found that people affiliated with Mr Maduro had allegedly used a Caribbean-based shell company to hide their involvement in the plane’s illegal purchase. It was bought from a company based in Florida in late 2022 and early 2023.
The aircraft was then illegally exported from the United States to Venezuela through the Caribbean in April 2023.
The argument by US officials that the plane’s sale and export violated US sanctions. Maduro won’t pay much attention to that. he has repeatedly accused the US of meddling in his country’s internal affairs.
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said the action represented “an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences from his misgovernance of Venezuela.”
Far more concerning is the illegal immigration of Venezuelan criminals into our country. Instead of worrying about a plane, close the border.
BREAKING: U.S. seizes Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro’s airplane in the Dominican Republic, CNN. pic.twitter.com/s5aDMNlzwN
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) September 2, 2024
Not the First Seizure
According to CNN, the US intends to confiscate the plane through asset forfeiture process. This means Venezuela could theoretically challenge it in court – if it can find a way around the sanctions to do so.
This is the second Venezuelan jet to be seized by the US this year. In February, Argentina sent the US a Boeing 747-300M cargo plane confiscated in 2022, because Caracas allegedly bought it from a sanctioned Iranian company. Maduro called the seizure “a blatant theft” on part of Argentinian President Javier Milei’s government.
Washington has seized $2 billion worth of Venezuelan bank accounts and assets in recent years, one unnamed official told CNN.
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