The United States has announced the seizure of a plane linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The aircraft, which had reportedly been flown to Caracas after arriving in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in April 2023, was confiscated on Monday, Sept 2.
As of now, the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has not officially commented on the information provided by Flightradar24 regarding the plane.
The US authorities claimed that the aircraft, a Falcon 900EX, was acquired illegally for $13 million. The Justice Department stated that the plane was seized in the Dominican Republic and transported to Florida.
Flight tracking data indicated that the plane departed from La Isabela airport near Santo Domingo on Monday and arrived at Fort Lauderdale airport shortly thereafter.
There has been no public response from Maduro regarding the US actions. Washington alleged that the seizure was related to violations of US export control and sanctions laws. According to US officials, an investigation revealed that associates of Maduro used a shell company based in the Caribbean to conceal their involvement in the plane’s illegal purchase from a Florida-based company between late 2022 and early 2023. The aircraft was then unlawfully exported from the US to Venezuela via the Caribbean in April 2023.
A White House National Security Council spokesperson described the seizure as a significant step in holding Maduro accountable for his governance of Venezuela.
The US, along with several Western nations, has not recognized the results of Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election, despite the Venezuelan Supreme Justice Tribunal affirming Maduro’s victory. Tribunal President Caryslia Rodriguez stated that the court had reviewed evidence from the electoral authority and confirmed Maduro’s win, with no option for appeal.
The Venezuelan opposition has published what it claims are 83 percent of the voting machine tallies, showing their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, with only 6 percent support.
US Attorney Markenzy Lapointe from the Southern District of Florida praised the Dominican Republic for its crucial role in facilitating the seizure. Matthew S. Axelrod from the Department of Commerce, one of the federal agencies involved, emphasized that efforts to identify and recover illegally smuggled aircraft will continue regardless of their value or the officials involved.
US seizes Venezuelan plane Nicolás Maduro aircraft seizure Venezuelan president plane Falcon 900EX seizure US export control violations Venezuela sanctions illegal aircraft purchase Dominican Republic role Venezuela July 28 election Maduro’s governance accountability
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