CNN: US seizes Venezuelan president’s plane and transfers it to Florida
The United States has seized an aircraft used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flown it from the Dominican Republic to Florida after determining that its purchase was a violation of US sanctions, the US Justice Department said on Monday.
The seizure of the plane came amid continued pressure on Maduro at home and abroad over the disputed July 28 election that he claims to have won, while the opposition says its vote tally shows he was decisively outscored.
Maduro, his associates and the OPEC member’s vital oil sector are under heavy US sanctions, and his handling of the election has raised the prospect of more sanctions.
“This morning, the Department of Justice seized an aircraft… that was illegally purchased for $13 million through a front company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
The statement indicated that the aircraft is a Dassault Falcon 900EX.
The seizure, first reported by CNN, was carried out in close cooperation with the Dominican Republic, US officials said.
